A Rose for the Champion
by TheFlagshipArkos
Summary: Jaune has made it into Beacon and now finds himself the leader of his own team; JSPR. Dark events lie in store at the hands of team CRME, can Jaune and his friends stop them? And how will the hapless knight react when two of his own team emerge as contenders for his affections? Cover art by the talented; Demonswolvesandpianos
1. Humble Beginnings

**As promised here it is, my second fic. the first few chapters will be mostly canon although following Jaune's viewpoint most likely. I do hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The blonde haired boy clutched his arms to his stomach and did his best to take slow and deliberate breaths, it was all that he could do in his efforts to prevent himself from emptying the contents of his disgruntled stomach right there and then. The airship's flight was not anywhere near as smooth as he had been hoping for and his motion sickness was playing up. The Airship itself was luxurious, furnished with deep carpets, couches and even vending machines. A testament to Beacon's high level of funding.

At first his joy at being accepted into Beacon had been boundless, the school was perhaps the most prestigious of all the advanced combat schools that Remnant had to offer and the fact he had been granted a place there was cause enough for celebration, even if his application had been completed through certain... unorthodox means.

This boy was one Jaune Arc, the second youngest child of Louis and Mabel Arc and their only male child. He came from a proud line of hunters and huntresses, including each and every one of his older sisters. And now, that would include him too.

Jaune braved a brief glance out of a nearby window and caught his first glance of Beacon's campus, sure he had seen photographs of it but they couldn't truly do it justice. It was huge, a collection of buildings sprawling across a gigantic plateau above the city of Vale. The buildings were large and ornate, with towering pillars and sweeping arches. In the centre was the famed 'Emerald Tower', a huge clock tower set with gigantic sheets of green stained-glass. The sun shone brightly hitting the tower and bathing half of the campus in a soft green light and giving it an altogether unearthly appearance. His fellow passengers around him looked on with gasps of amazement and murmurs of appreciation.

He was forced to tear his gaze away from the sight as fresh waves of nausea washed over him. He stared at the carpet at his feet, studying every inch as though it were the most fascinating thing on Remnant in an effort to calm his rebellious stomach.

In the background he caught snatches of speech from a holographic display screen a short way away. From what he could gather it was another news report about a string of dust robberies believed to be carried out by the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. A thief whom had been terrorizing Vale in recent weeks.

In addition to that there was brief mention of another violent protest by the 'White Fang', an infamous terrorist group using violent means to establish equality for the Faunus. They attacked dust-shipments from companies which exploited Faunus labour and struck out a human-supremacist meetings often leaving death and destruction in their wake.

The news reporter was cut short as the broadcast was replaced with a holographic projection of a blonde woman. Jaune looked up at the apparition with renewed interest, his motion-sickness temporarily pushed to the back of his mind.

The projected woman was quite tall, although whether that was because she was wearing heels Jaune couldn't tell. She was relatively young, appearing to be no older that her mid thirties, and she looked great for it. She was clad in a simple white blouse and black skirt hemmed sharply just above the knee. Her eyes were of a entrancing green colour and sat behind a set of square framed glasses. She bore herself a stern yet not unkind expression, if Jaune had to sum her up in one word it would have been 'precise'.

Everything about this mystery woman had its place and seemed rather efficient, nothing being without purpose. Save for one thing, her cape. It hung from her shoulders and down to around her knee level. It had no order to it, following a swirling design that seemed somewhat out of place amongst the rest of her outfit. She was beautiful but not in the traditional sense, rather she was beautiful in a 'I'll break you if you try anything funny' sense.

_'Who is she?' _Jaune wondered.

"Good afternoon, I am Glynda Goodwitch-" Jaune internally face-palmed as the holograph introduced itself.

"I am a professor here at Beacon. We are fortunate to be experiencing a wondrous time of peace and prosperity, and as future huntsmen and huntresses it shall one day be your responsibility to uphold that peace. Please be aware that you shall be arriving soon, prepare yourselves and allow me to be the first to say; 'Welcome to Beacon'."

Jaune sat and pondered the professor's words. Goodwitch was right of course, here he was about to attend perhaps the most prestigious academy that the world had to offer. His situation dawned on him bringing about a profound sense of realisation that this wasn't just some distant moment in his future, but that it was really happening. His family had given him no indication of what they could expect, they had simply given him the family sword Crocea Mors and sent him on his way. He couldn't help but resent that a little, all his older siblings had their own custom weapons which had been built especially for them but he as the only male heir had been forced into using the family heirloom.

His musings were interrupted by a gurgling sound rising from his stomach. The blonde's eyes widened in horror as he knew exactly what it meant. His stomach had finally had enough of being ignored and was about to make a statement.

Panic welled up in him as he shot to his feet and anxiously scanned the airship's lavish interior for any sign of a potential receptacle for his breakfast. He knew that eating such a large meal before flying had been a thoroughly bad idea but his mother had insisted. Hope rose within him as he caught a glimpse of a sign pointing to the craft's onboard bathrooms. He set of at a run diving and dodging around his fellow passengers hoping to get to safety before the ticking time-bomb that was his stomach went off.

He bolted round a corner and caught a brief glimpse of gold before colliding with something soft and hitting the ground with a subtle thud. Jaune started as he came to his senses and found that he was entangled with a somewhat annoyed looking blonde girl. Quick as he could muster he climbed to his feet apologising fervently and offered her his hand. She took it and hauled herself to her feet rubbing the back of her head.

"You should watch where you're going!"

She was quite tall with long and flowing golden hair. Her eyes were a calm lilac, a strong contrast to the look of annoyance burning within them. She was clad in a brown leather jacket under which was a yellow t-shirt marked with what appeared to be a burning heart. The jacket was open at the front to allow for her sizeable 'assets'. Around her neck was tied an orange scarf and on her wrists were a strange pair of bracelets, the likes of which Jaune had never seen. They were bright gold and trimmed with black. Her lower legs were covered by her knee high platform boots and around her left leg was tied a single piece of blue cloth. Around her waist was hung a strange half-skirt, it covered her behind but left the front open allowing view to her black short-shorts. She was gorgeous by all accounts.

"Relax Yang, I'm sure he didn't mean it!" a soft and high pitched voice said.

Stood besides Yang was another smaller girl. She looked as though little red riding hood had leapt straight off of the pages of a story book and into reality. That is if little red riding hood had carried around .50 calibre rounds on a belt around her waist. The smaller girl had short-ish black hair tinged with red that fell around her face framing the most captivating silver eyes Jaune had ever seen. Her attire itself did seem to be a carbon copy of little red riding hood, a simple corseted skirt of red and black accompanied by a plain black belt. Her belt buckle was elaborately shaped into a rose.

Jaune opened his mouth to agree but at that very moment the dust-ship lurched. With a slight heave the poor motion-sick blonde lost a portion of his breakfast...straight onto the toe one of Yang's boots. He looked to her in horror waving his hands in front of him as to signal that he hadn't meant it. Her eyes were no longer lilac but had flared an angry red, and the flowing golden locks of her hair were tinged with flame.

He soon found out the nature of her bracelets as, with a series of mechanical clicks and whirring sounds, they transformed into a pair of fearsome looking gauntlets before his very eyes. Jaune backed away with a look akin to that of a frightened rabbit in his eyes. Little red had leapt onto Yang and was desperately trying to wrench her away from him as Yang cocked back a fist.

It was like watching David and Goliath in reality as the little rose girl struggled to reign in the raging blonde and calm her down.

"Yang, stop!" She pleaded to the taller blonde. Yang's eyes transitioned back into their lilac, although a hint of red was still present.

"Ruby, he puked on my shoe! These are brand new!"

Jaune blushed bright enough to be mistaken for a traffic light as he went into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. He sheepishly offered it up to the angry blonde before him.

"I-I'm sorry about your shoe. I didn't mean to, honest! P-please take this to clean it?" He stammered, praying to all the gods both known and unknown that he would make it out of this alive.

Yang gave him a glare and slowly reached out taking his favour. She stooped down and proceeded to wipe clean the brown leather of her boots. Once done she handed the soiled cloth back to him, the look in her eyes cooling back down as the anger dissipated.

"Accidents happen right?" Yang grumbled before walking away, the young redhead in tow.

"See you round!" Ruby called back to him.

Jaune was left alone once again. He slumped to the floor against the cabin's wall in defeat and stared at the ominous damp patch in the carpet where he had hurled mere moments before.

_'Good going Jauney, you're not even at Beacon yet and already you've thrown up on a girl's shoe and nearly been beaten up...' _He thought sarcastically venom flowing through his mind's voice.

The only silver lining to this cloud was that his stomach seemed to have settled down now, he glared at the carper in frustration. He just wanted the flight to be over, things had to get better once he was back on solid ground.

* * *

The aircraft docked and Jaune barrelled off, pushing past people in his rush. He looked about frantically until at last he found what he was looking for. He made a beeline for it moving as fast as his legs could carry him, Crocea Mors banging against his leg uncomfortably.

He wrapped his hands round the rim of the trash can the moment he reached it and loosed the remainder of his breakfast in an angry torrent. The back of his throat burned when he eventually finished heaving. His hands were trembling as he wiped his mouth on the back of his glove. He took deep breaths to calm himself.

An earth-shattering explosion rang out making him jolt and dive to the ground. He looked up just in time to see a huge fireball billow into the sky accompanied by what he thought was...ice? The smoke and dust cleared to reveal an angry looking girl in white shouting at the same little redhead from before. Although he couldn't make out what they were saying it was clear that the girl in white wasn't best pleased.

The blonde staggered back to his feet and made his way over to what was now a sizeable crater in front of the campus. In the epicentre lay a somewhat dazed and confused Ruby. He arrived just as the girl in white stormed off. He made his way over to her skirting around blasted and scorched pieces of luggage as well as the odd disgruntled servant. He stepped into Ruby's view and offered his hand with a smile. She nervously took it and he helped her to her feet.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded in response and looking him up and down.

"Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?" she giggled.

Jaune blushed bright red in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah, but motion-sickness is a lot more common than people let on y'know?"

"Whatever you say Vomit-boy." She replied, a smug grin on her face. She was clearly quite proud of the nickname she had just given him.

"It was an accident! I couldn't help it. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time is all. W-what should I start calling you Crater-face?" he said getting more flustered by the minute.

"I'm sorry, Vomit-boy was the first thing that came to mind." she explained defensively as she tried to backpedal.

"W-well my names Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short, sweet rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." He said with a wink. Though he would never admit it, he had been practising that line in front of a mirror ever since he got his acceptance letter.

"Do they?" Ruby giggled and raised her eyebrow.

"T-they will, or at least I hope they will..." Jaune looked at the ground. This was not good, his attempts at conversation were beginning to flounder.

"Well, pleased to meet you Jaune. I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose." She offered her hand which Jaune shook.

The two walked together in awkward silence for a long while, Jaune whistled quietly to himself, unsure of what to say or do. Surprisingly enough it was the little Rose next to him that broke the silence. Her face lit up adorably as she retrieved a large metal object from underneath her cape.

"Soooo I got this..."

She hit a button on its side and it began to whir and click, just like Yang's bracelets had done on the airship, as it unfolded before his very eyes into a large scythe more than six feet in length. It was painted the same colour as its wielder's hood and had a spear tip on the base of its haft. The blade was long and curved, honed to a keen edge. But perhaps strangest of all was the scope and magazine protruding from two thirds of the way up its haft.

"I-is that a scythe?"

"Its also a high impact sniper rifle" she responded, caressing the weapon as though it were her very own child. She sighed softly as she caught his blank expression.

"Its also a gun." She explained, pulling back the bolt and cocking the weapon as though to illustrate her point. The little Reaper looked at Jaune expectantly, with an embarrassed look he unsheathed his family's sword and offered it up for her inspection.

"I-I don't have anything as cool as that. I have this, my grandfather fought with it during the war."

Ruby scrutinised Crocea Mors under a trained eye from its blue leather wrapped hilt to the very tip of the long sword's blade, Pausing to appraise every scratch, nick and dint that the weapon had accumulated over its lengthy history.

"Well I like it! Not enough people have an appreciation for the classics these days." she said with a smile.

* * *

After half an hour of hapless wandering around the campus, both the little Reaper and her Knight companion found their way to Beacon's vast auditorium. It was a huge place packed full of all different kinds of people from all walks of life. There were faunus and human alike of all shapes and sizes, although Jaune noticed the two groups tended to stick with their own kind.

Off to their left they heard a voice calling out Ruby's name, the two turned to see Yang calling to her and waving emphatically. Jaune looked at the blonde bombshell I a new light, During their wanderings Ruby had explained that Yang was her half-sister by their mother. Before he could respond Ruby had bid him goodbye and rushed over to stand by her sister leaving him alone once again. He contemplated following after but decided against it.

"Great, now where am I gonna find another quirky girl to talk to?" He muttered under his breath with a sigh. It was at that moment he could've sworn someone was watching him, a tingle ran down his spine as he turned around, casting a look for any watchers. When he found nothing he shrugged moving deeper into the crowds hoping to find a better spot from which he could see the stage.

Before long two figures stepped out from stage right. Jaune recognised one as Glynda Goodwitch, the same professor from the hologram during the flight. She was accompanied by a man whom Jaune didn't know.

He was an older man judging by the grey of his hair and was garbed in a dark green suit, seemingly tailored given how well it fit him. He looked as if he was about to laugh and cry all at once, his shoulders hunched like he was carrying the weight of the world upon them. He leant upon a cane with one hand and in the other held a white china mug with the Beacon crest emblazoned across it. There was little else about him save for a voluminous green scarf and a pair of small round spectacles, perched precariously upon the bridge of his nose. Goodwitch introduced him as _the_ professor Ozpin. The mysterious headmaster of Beacon and the same man that had been training remnants strongest huntsmen and huntresses for close to a decade.

Ozpin wearily made his way to centre stage where a microphone was set up for him. He began his address to the wide eyed initiates before him, although his overall message was far from uplifting.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills-and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose-direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

The somewhat confused students applauded politely as Ozpin finished and once again left the stage, allowing Goodwitch to step up to the Microphone again.

"Thank you, that shall be all for today. Tonight you will all convene in the ballroom. I would suggest using this time wisely to prepare yourselves and your equipment as well as getting a good night's sleep ready for initiations tomorrow. You are dismissed."

Jaune followed after the crowds to the ballroom, where their luggage had supposedly been taken for them. Unbeknownst to him, from within the depths of the crowd two emerald eyes surrounded by fiery red locks watched him go. The watcher smiled to herself before she in turn made to follow after him being sure to keep a reasonable distance between them. There was something special about this blonde boy... and one thing was for certain, it would be fun finding out just what.

* * *

**Oh what mystery! Who could this mysterious watcher be I wonder? Hope you all enjoyed this, I'll be updating roughly once a week if my schedule permits. This shall remain my secondary fic depending on how well it is received. Please follow, favourite and above all review so that I might try and get this off the ground and flowing properly. If you haven't already please do check out 'The Sword and Spear' and I'll see you all in the next chapter**


	2. An Initiation for the Ages

**Ladies and Gents welcome back to 'A Rose for the Champion'. I do apologise for the lack of progress with this fic so far, to tell the truth I wasn't fond of how I'd written it. It seemed very half-assed and like I was rushing it, but I believe that stagnant period is at an end. I have for you a completely re-written version of the initiation, one that I genuinely loved writing. Hopefully you'll find it a little bit more exciting. Without any further ado, please do enjoy.**

* * *

Beacon cliffs, the official border of the school campus and the final frontier before the wild, untamed, Grimm infested and sprawling sea of green that was the Emerald forest. Jaune and the other initiates all stood upon these cliffs, before them was a harsh thousand foot drop descending into what Jaune was sure to be a seething ocean of orange eyes and gnashing teeth, all of which would rip him apart without a moment's thought.

It was chilly to say the least, gusts of icy wind blew across the cliff top whipping his hair around as though it were a sea of snakes and sending shivers down his spine. He pulled on the cords of his hoodie, drawing it in tighter around his neck in an effort to seal in whatever warmth he could. It didn't work anywhere near as well as he had hoped, if anything it had made his situation worse for now his hands were cold too. He jammed them back into his pockets. Looking around, none of the other initiates seemed to be effected by the cold.

Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch were stood just in front of him, grimaces on their faces. It was Ozpin that was the first to speak although it was difficult to make out his words through the relentless howling of the wind. The knight strained his hearing and if he closed his eyes could make out his words.

"Initiates. I have gathered you here this morning for your initiation, your first assignment as potential students here at Beacon. Your respective training has prepared you for this very moment. In a few moments we are going to launch you into the forest you see behind me. You will be falling and it shall be up to each of you to fix that." He smirked and continued. "Should any of you feel that you aren't up to this task please feel free to step away now. You shall not be judged for doing so."

The professor left a short pause for those whom might want to bow out to do just that. Jaune looked around at his fellow initiates but none of them seemed to so much as move. They all stared straight ahead with single-minded determination etched onto their faces. Jaune looked deep within himself and wondered whether or not he should just leave now and save himself the trouble. If what the Professor had said was true then he was about to be catapulted into a forest teeming with monsters that wanted little more than to rip him apart for their own amusement.

He was just a squishy seventeen year old human boy, he had yet to kiss a girl or even hold hands with one. What business did he have at Beacon? This was a school for people that had dedicated their whole lives to training to be huntsmen and huntresses. He didn't have that behind him, he had cheated, faked his transcripts and lied.

Yet, for some reason his body refused to move. It stayed, solid and resolute against his commands. Deep inside himself, he felt a burning desire to go on and prove everyone else wrong. He may not have had the training or transcripts but if he had one thing it was passion, desire and heart.

"Good."Ozpin nodded cutting his deliberations short. "As I said, you shall be falling and it will be down to yourselves to devise a landing strategy for yourselves. Once you are safely back on solid ground within the forest you shall be sent a message on your scrolls containing the instructions for your next task. Good luck to you all." He finished and stepped back allowing Goodwitch to move in and say her piece. Unlike the soft spoken headmaster, Jaune had no troubles hearing Goodwitch's voice over the gale swirling around them.

"Good morning, you may have heard news and rumour concerning the assignment of teams. This is indeed the case. Once you have landed in the forest, you will be assigned partners. Given that this person will remain your partner for the next four years it would be a good idea to choose someone you can work well wi-"

"Your partner will be the first person you make eye contact with after landing." Ozpin chimed in, interrupting and cutting off Goodwitch mid-stream. If she was annoyed or surprised at his statement she didn't show it. Her poker-face held up well save for a couple of slight twitches of her eye. Jaune however was utterly flabbergasted, surely this couldn't be the case. It _had_ to be some kind of cruel joke. It seemed that he wasn't the only one of the initiates to believe so, murmurs went up between them carried along to him by the wind. Yet no punchline was forth coming.

"Yes, as Headmaster Ozpin said, your partner will be the first student that you make eye contact with upon landing. A final word of advice, this forest is filled with Grimm of all kinds so be prepared for anything. Do not hesitate to cut down any that stand in your way or you will die. You shall be monitored along your way by our instructors, however, they will not intervene. Best of luck and prepare yourselves for launch."

Jaune was still in shock even as the other students readied themselves. He stood slack-jawed with his eyes flitting between the two professors. It seemed so mad, so harebrained for those to be the conditions of their initiation. There had to be a mistake yet before he could voice his concerns the ground under his feet clicked and emitted a high pitched whistle. With the sudden rush of air running past his ears he and the other initiates were catapulted up and away from the cliffs, high into the blue of the skies.

The professors watched them go, their eyes tracking the students' progress across the ceiling of the world. As they faded to little more than specks against the vast blue backdrop Goodwitch turned to her old friend.

"Ozpin, do you really think this partnership method is wise?" She asked.

"I don't see why not, it should at the very least add an... interesting spin to the proceedings."

"These are the hunters and huntresses of the future, shouldn't they be with the people they chose? Wouldn't having the teammates they want influence and aid their studies?"

"And how often to people of their age know exactly what they want? Glynda I have made more mistakes than any man, woman or child on this earth. I do not believe this to be one of them. Let us at least watch how it plays out."

"As you wish Professor Ozpin." She replied taking the professional tone she often did whenever he had succeeded in agitating her. He merely smirked and opened up his scroll to watch the initiates' progress.

* * *

The whole world span in sickening circles as Jaune flew, driving his stomach to madness. He felt a mixture of sensations made up mostly of; exhilaration, fear and the greatest desire to hurl that he had ever felt. He assessed his situation grimly and was far from fond of his findings.

He was spinning out of control over a thousand feet from the bone shattering ground below, not a good start. His first port of call was to stop his world from spinning quite so violently, that would at least increase his chances of survival from 'zero' to 'virtually non-existent'. He threw his arms and legs out wide just like he had seen skydivers do on television back home. Gradually he stopped somersaulting and levelled out. That was better, now what was his situation.

Looking down, Jaune estimated that he had a good thousand feet's worth of free-fall left before he plowed face first into the dirt and ceased to exist. That gave him maybe a minute at most to compose himself a 'landing strategy'. Looking around frantically he caught sight of what appeared to be a lake set within a large clearing. His eyes lit up at the sight that looked to be his way of surviving this mess.

With great care he angled his body to control his descent and move himself forwards. He would only have one shot at this so by the gods he couldn't afford to mess it up. As the ground came closer Jaune began to panic, it still seemed so damned far away, he would never make it in time! He leant forward as much as he dared, lending speed to his path. His whole body began to ache as he fought against the air and its efforts to send him spiralling out of control once again.

Three hundred feet. Jaune braced himself for what would undoubtedly be one of the worst baths of his life, the water was crystal clear but looked painfully cold. Two hundred feet. He grit his teeth and braced for impact. One hundred feet. Was it deep enough? No time now! He closed his eyes, drew into a cannonball and fervently hoped for survival. Splash.

There were many words that Jaune would later use to describe his 'quick dip' in the lake during initiation yet cold never seemed severe enough. It felt as though his whole body had been put into a tailored suit of ice, snow and every other cold thing he could name. It took the breath straight out of his lungs. He fought his frozen body to begin swimming up. His lungs burned for want of oxygen and for a moment it seemed as though he might never break the surface.

He flailed and swam his way to the lake shore. He got the sand beneath his feet and crawled his way up and out of the water, chest heaving as he drew in lungfuls of air.

"There was no way...In hell...That... Should've worked..." He managed to whisper between breaths. It was true, it was a miracle and sheer blind luck that the lake had been deep enough to break his fall and prevent his body ending up a broken mess at the bottom of an unknown lake.

He lay on the shore looking up at the sky watching the clouds float by through the sky. As he lay there, he almost forgot that he was in a Grimm infested forest on an initiation assignment for the most illustrious hunter school in all of Remnant. It was also the reason he failed to see the ripples run across the surface of the water, or hear the water begin to lap at the shore with increased vigour.

Bright red eyes, burning with hatred watched from below the surface. Multiple appendages clawed at the lake bed pulling a foul black beast towards the shore. The first of these tentacles slid out of the water, soundless save for the sound of the multitude of drips cascading off and back to the surface.

Jaune felt a change in the wind, flocks of birds flew up and out of the trees. His eyes narrowed in suspicion something wasn't right. Before he could work out what was happening he felt a sudden pressure on his ankle. Quite before he could react he was pulled along and up into the air left dangling. A long black tentacle had wrapped itself around his ankle and ran back into the water. Even as he watched on, the lake's surface churned violently as a black bulbous head emerged, two bright red eyes glared at him as the monster roared. Row upon row of teeth ran down the beast's throat. The white bone plating covered the upper part Grimm's face He flailed wildly trying to break the creatures hold.

Jaune's eyes landed on his sword, by some miracle it was still in its sheath, a fact he was eternally grateful for. Swinging his arms he latched onto the blue leather wrapped hilt of his family's sword and drew it. The blade gleamed in the light of the clearing as he brought it to bear on this marine Grimm's tentacle. Crocea Mors skittered across the monsters hide with every swing, he simply couldn't get the force behind his blows.

It seemed hopeless, his eyes widened in fear as the Grimm moved him so that he was dangling over its mouth. This was it, he was about to die right there and then. Eaten by some god awful beast of the depths without ever having kissed a girl or experiencing love. Yet he wasn't going out quietly, he had come into this world kicking and screaming and he would be damned if he wasn't going out the same way. He hacked away at the tentacle for all that he was worth, doing his very best to at least hurt the beast in some way.

The loud crack of a gunshot rang out through the clearing and almost almost in sync with the sound, a small hole roughly the size of a penny was ripped into the tentacle just below where it held his ankle. Blood exploded out from the wound and the beast loosed a blood curdling cry of pain, he covered his ears with a cry of his own. The roar covered a further two shots that rang out tearing into the monster and cutting off the portion holding his ankle.

Jaune seemed to hang in the air for a moment before the tip of the tentacle separated in a spray of blood. The blonde gave a cry as he began to fall back towards the lake surface. He collided with the Grimm's face plating and off into the icy waters once again. For the second time that day chills flew through his body.

He made his way to the bank once again and was seized by the collar of his hoodie. With surprising strength he was pulled out of the water shivering and bedraggled. He struggled to force his feet under his unruly body. And jogged along with his saviour, he looked up to see bronze coloured metal and a the brightest red hair of all.

He collapsed back to the dirt when they stopped moving. He lay there panting heavily, struggling to suck in the oxygen he needed. His scraggly blonde hair lay in a thick wet mat across his forehead. With the seeming respite in their struggle he took the chance to look up at his saviour, and got his first good look at her, for it was indeed a she.

She was tall and of the fairest skin. Bright red hair cascaded down her back like a river of liquid fire and was held back by a golden circlet. She was adorned in a bronze armoured corset with gold trim. Her waist was covered by a short red combat skirt with a flowing red drape. Three black leather ammunition pouches hung from a leather belt around her waist. She was stood low in a 'ready' stance. In her hands she held a red and golden spear and on her left arm was a golden bracer and a bronze round-shield. She looked elegant and regal, a true goddess of battle.

Using Crocea Mors for support he climbed to his feet, she seemingly heard him and turned around to face him. He wasn't expecting however, the deep emerald eyes that met him. They were incredible, the most prized gems in the four kingdoms. All words left him as he looked upon her face.

"T-thanks for saving me... I thought I was done for." He managed to croak out past the lump in his throat.

"It was my-" She was interrupted by the Grimm's roars of anger. Oh yeah... There was still that to deal with. She frowned and looked over to the monster almost analytically. She seemed to look at the Grimm for any sign of its weaknesses.

"What _is_ that thing?" Jaune asked nervously.

"Its a Kraiken. A rare form of Grimm only found in water."

Jaune nodded and returned his attention to the Kraiken. It was flailing its tentacles around violently and perhaps most disturbingly it was pulling its horrendous form out of the lake and across dry land towards them. The lake in which it still half rested was murky and darkened by the blood oozing from the damaged tentacle, long gone was the once clear blue of the waters. Jaune gave a groan and for the first time readied himself in earnest for battle. He looked over to his saviour who gave him a confident smile.

"Any ideas?"

"None, other than its tentacles there isn't anywhere we can really harm with our weapons."

Jaune found that hard to believe, he looked over every bit of the creature trying to determine where its weakest points were. Armour plating covered its entire face save for the eyes, taking those out would be difficult and yet not totally impossible. He dismissed the idea, given how erratically the creature was behaving it was unlikely that his savour would be able to hit her targets without expending the majority of her bandoleers.

No, that wouldn't do. The only other unarmoured place on its body, aside from the tentacles was the back of its bulbous head, the large sack type part which he could only assume contained the brain. The issue was exactly how to get there without being ensnared and eaten by the Kraiken. Not an easy task.

With a hoarse cry he charged at the creature and began to swing at any tentacle which seemed brave enough to come near him. His plan seemed to be working until one of them flew in and grasped him, yet rather than going in for the kill as he might have expected. It flung him high into the air and behind it. The world span as he reached the arc of his flight and began to once again hurtle back towards the ground. He landed in the lake for the third time that day behind the beast.

The Grimm seemed not to notice his presence behind it, his saviour keeping it occupied from infront. The back of its head wobbled about not ten metres away from him. With a grimace from the exertion he swam his way over towards the beast. Its hide within his reach as he switched the grip on his sword to one better suited to stabbing.

He drew back his arm and with a hoarse cry brought his arm forward and plunged it into the back of the Grimm. To say the beast's blood poured out would have been a severe understatement, it erupted. A fountain of blood, back as night flew from the beast as he dragged his blade downwards further rending the Grimm's flesh and creating a gaping chasm from which the Kraiken's life essences poured.

The Kraiken flailed its tentacles as one last terror instilling roar tore from its mouth. In an effort to silence the sound, Jaune drove his sword deep into the monster and ever further into its brain. With a final squeal and a weak yet futile flail the colossal marine grim ceased thrashing and lay still. Dead.

Jaune swam his way to the shore and hauled his sorry self out, collapsing once again on the solid ground. His saviour made his way over until she stood over him. He looked up at her with soft eyes, a gaze which she seemed to eagerly return.

"P-please...No more baths today...I'm clean now." He whimpered. His third escapade into the lake's waters had been anything but pleasant, nor had it been any warmer. At his remark the girl's look turned to one of amusement before she broke into a fit of giggles. To Jaune it was one of the nicest laughs he had heard. It was crystal clear and melodic in nature, seeming almost to resonate within him. She offered him a hand up which he eagerly took. Crocea Mors was returned to its sheath though he knew he would need it again.

"An excellent kill. Not many encounter a Kraiken and live to tell the tale."

"Thank you, though I doubt I'd have been around to tell the tale if you hadn't have shown up." He smiled wistfully. Quite suddenly he offered her his hand "I-I'm Jaune by the way. Jaune Arc"

"Pyrrha Nikos. Pleased to meat you." She beamed back shaking his hand. The smile never left her face the whole while.

"So, I guess this makes us partners." He grinned glad to have ended up paired with someone so confident. She seemed nice enough. As though to confirm his statement, both their scrolls bleeped simultaneously. Jaune retrieved his to find a message from Ozpin.

_"Congratulations to Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos on the formation of your partnership. It is my firm hope that you enjoy your time together at Beacon academy. As a further point we would like to extend our gratitude to you for removing the Kraiken from that region of the forest, it was beginning to prove quite troublesome to say the least. Your next task is a simple enough one, you are to head North working your way through the forest until you reach an ancient ruin. It is within that ruin that you will find a selection of relics. Retrieve one of these relics and return to the top of Beacon cliffs. Do not hesitate to cut down anything that gets in your way. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour."_

Jaune groaned as he finished reading the message, they had survived the fall and now they had to hike for miles through some gods forsaken forest to retrieve a relic, only then to walk the whole way back through the forest to climb the cliff and finish initiation. Great.

He looked to his new partner with a fatigued smile this was not how he had imagined things going, he had imagined initiation to be relatively easy. Oh how wrong he was. Blood rolled down his forehead and into his eye from a hitherto undiscovered cut. He caught his partner's gaze as she looked at him curiously.

"Jaune, why haven't you used your aura to heal that cut?" Came her question.

"My what?" He asked in return, thoroughly confused.

"Your aura? You do know what an aura is don't you?"

He blushed brightly and tried to hold her gaze but in the end he couldn't. He had no idea what aura was, and once she found out she would most likely not want to be his partner anymore. It sounded important whatever it was.

"N-no..." He said barely above a whisper and looked down at his feet. To his surprise she didn't seem annoyed or upset, rather she stepped forward and hooked a finger beneath his chin bringing his eyes to meet hers once again.

"It's alright Jaune, close your eyes."

"P-Pyrrha?"

"Just trust me." She smiled. Jaune did as he asked and as he did the air around them began to hum with energy, a hidden power he had never felt before. It was then that he first heard her begin to speak though not externally. Her voice was in his head, resonating throughout his very being. The words she said would stay with him for the rest of his life.

_'__For it is in passing that we achieve immortality, through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.'_

A rush ran through his body filling him with new-found energy and sending a shiver down his spine. The aches and pains of his body faded away as a cooling sensation bloomed around his various cuts, bruises and scrapes. The cut above his eye sealed itself in mere moments, he felt incredible! He could even go so far as to say that he felt _better _than when he had entered the forest.

"W-what _was _that?" He asked, exasperated.

"I unlocked your aura and It got to work on healing your body." She smiled.

"That's incredible! What else can it do?" He was eager to learn more about this mysterious power within himself. What else was he capable of doing with it?

"Aura can be used to heal us and protect us from harm."

"L-like a forcefield?"

"I guess you could say that yes, however it is limited by your aura reserves and these vary from person to person. The bigger the amount of aura a person has, the more they can do with it before exhausting their reserves. You have a _lot_." She smiled. "Come on, we should make our way to these ruins, I'll tell you more about it on the way."

She set off walking at a leisurely pace out of the clearing and into the densely packed forest. He followed after her listening intently as she explained the uses and variations in aura, he was determined to learn all that he possibly could about it. After all, his very life may one day depend on it.

Before long they had left the clearing far behind them, the dissipating corpse of the Kraiken little more than a distant memory, and a foul one at that. Yet despite their hostile environment undoubtedly brimming with evil monsters, Jaune couldn't deny the beauty of the forest, the way the sunlight shone through the canopy overhead, bathing everything in a wholesome green light. It was stunning.

* * *

Meanwhile back on top of the cliffs, both professors Ozpin and Goodwitch stood watching events unfold with avid interest. The brutal wind still swirled around them seeking to drive its chill into their very bones.

"The final pairs have been established professor. Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. Poor girl, I simply can't imagine that working out."

"Perhaps Glynda, we shouldn't be so hasty in our judgement. The two did bring down a Kraiken and that is no mean feat."

"You saw him, he was getting knocked around like a rag doll! He didn't even have an aura."

"Yes, and I also saw him seize advantage of an opportunity and kill the beast. Everything is subjective. Despite not having a protective barrier he still charged the beast in order to kill it, that is bravery. We cannot judge them fully until we have seen them taxed to the very best of their abilities."

She growled in frustration earning yet another smile from her old friend. He had a point however, perhaps she was being overly hasty to cast aspersions on the young blonde. He _was _an Arc after all, that had to count for something didn't it?

"Either way, we will find out soon enough. They will be arriving at the ruins shortly."

* * *

Crumbling and shattered stones lay in a half circle before them, the last remaining evidence of a lost era. Jaune grinned at the sight, glad to have finally made it through the woods and onto the next part of their initiation. The forest itself seemed to end abruptly leaving them on a grassy plain. The treeline stood almost unnaturally straight behind them, as though the forest knew not to grow any further.

As they approached it seemed they weren't the only ones to have gotten this far, this was to be expected of course, Several other people were stood in the centre of the ruins looking over a ring of monoliths, each one with a small statue on top. They looked to be... Chess pieces?

"How about a cute li'l pony?" One of them said stepping forward and seizing the white knight piece. It was Yang, there was only one person with such an incredibly well kept waterfall of golden hair.

"Hey guys!" Jaune called out as he jogged over to meet them. Yang turned around to see him.

"Hey there Vomit-Boy." She grinned.

"I'm never gonna live that one down am I?" He groaned hearing his 'nickname'.

"Nope!" She chirped back. "Oh, this is my partner Blake." She gestured to the girl next to her. She was pretty enough, dressed all in black. On her back she carried a large bladed weapon and ribbons wound round her arms all the way up.

"Hey, I'm Jaune." He offered his hand, yet she didn't respond at all. He looked to Yang for help.

"Ah don't worry about it, she's always like that. Heck she's barely spoken a word since we got partnered." Blake rolled her eyes, but a slight smirk grew on her face, hardly noticeable but it was certainly there.

"This is my partner, Pyrrha." Jaune proclaimed proudly as he sought to end the awkward silence between them. Pyrrha waved to the two other girls and smiled brightly.

Once the introductions were made, Jaune stepped forward to see the various relics. Chess pieces, of both colours stood on the monoliths, the gaps present showed that many of the other initiates had already been and gone. His blue eyes scanned over the pieces just as his partner's did. In perfect sync with one another they stepped forward and both placed their hands on the white rook piece. Her hand on top of his.

The redhead darted backwards pulling her hand away from his and blushing bright enough to stop rush-hour traffic. Jaune's own cheeks flushed as well though he kept his hand on the piece. He picked it up off of its stand and placed it in his hoodie pocket

"All right, that's that one done. Now we just have to return to the top of Beacon cliffs right?" He smiled, completely oblivious to his partner's deep embarrassment.

"Awesome! We can all head back together!" Yang cheered.

"I don't see why not, safety in numbers is a good idea." Pyrrha chirped, having finally brought her blush under control and fervently thanking the gods for Jaune not having seen it.

The four of them were just about to set off on their way back, but before they could take another step a shrill and panicked voice called out from above them.

"Look out!"

Four faces snapped up, their eyes on the sky. Jaune couldn't believe it, Ruby was hurtling towards the ground at a breakneck pace. Judging by the speed she was travelling, it was unlikely that her aura would save her. The blonde watched her descent, frantically trying to work out where he would need to be. In a rash move he sprinted forward to just where he believed the Rose might land and held his arms out.

His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he watched her approach. She collided with the blonde with a hefty force, buckling his knees and sending them both to the ground, yet he managed to mitigate most of the impact. He ended up flat on his back with Ruby in a rather 'compromising' position on top of him earning both of them a set of rosy cheeks.

Thankfully Yang stepped forward and plucked her sister off of him by the back of her hood and setting her back down on her feet. There was a pause before the brawler drew her sister into a bone crushing hug. In the background Pyrrha helped her partner up and onto his own feet.

"Y-Yang! I'm fine, let me go!" Ruby cried as she flailed in the Blonde's arms. At last she broke free and looked up to the sky as if expecting something.

"What are you looking for?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Weiss... We kinda rode in on a giant Nevermore... And I told her to jump but she wouldn't so I kinda let go and well... Here we are!"

Jaune winced at the idea. He had heard the shouting match the previous evening and if that was any indication, Weiss was not the kinda girl you wanted to get on the wrong side of.

"You did what? Well, where is it?" Yang asked frantically searching the sky for any sign of the avian Grimm. The others soon joined her, scouring the clear blue for any sign of the evil beast or the heiress. Though which was more fearsome Jaune couldn't decide.

"There!" Ruby shouted pointing a finger up. Jaune followed her indication and found what they were looking for, at first it appeared to be little more than a speck but it soon grew, a little faster than Jaune would've liked.

"It's coming right for us!" They all cried in unison. Up above them the Nevermore shrieked out its hunting cry. A harsh and piercing cry that drove a spear of dread straight through their hearts. The bird drew back its wings pausing its forward momentum almost instantly, before once again bringing them forward unleashing a tirade of feathers in their direction.

"Scatter!" Ruby yelled and bolted behind a nearby tree. The others shot out in every which way they could to escape the barrage yet Jaune remained rooted to the spot unable to run. His legs simply wouldn't respond, fear had a solid grip on his heart.

"Jaune! Move!" He heard Pyrrha call out to him.

His partner's voice jolted him from his stupor but it was simply too late to run, there wasn't the time, the feathers were almost on him. He reached to his sword and drew it the steel shining brightly in the early afternoon sunlight. He expanded his shield and dropped into a crouch bringing it up and ducking behind it even as the feathers plowed into the ground in front of him.

Fortunately for him most of the feathers landed around him, missing by mere feet. One however didn't and collided with the face of his shield full force shattering into tiny pieces. He hissed in pain and the impact jarred his arm sending lances of pain rocketing through his body. His whole shield arm was completely numb.

Snapping his head round he watched his foe fly off, a brief flash of movement caught his eye as a figure, dressed all in white flew away from the bird hopping through the air on what seemed to be giant floating glyphs. Weiss.

The heiress touched down daintily onto the ground, a tiny puff of dust flying from underneath her. With a single-minded determination and anger seething in her icy blue eyes she stomped over to the tiny reaper.

"Ruby! What were you thinking leaving me up there alone!"

"Sorry! I-I told you to jump..." The little Rose hung her head in shame drawing circles in the dirt with the tip of her boot. She looked reminiscent of a toddler being chastised by her parent. The heiress opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted before she could get her words out by a low and rumbling roar. Out of the treeline burst an Ursa Major, huge white spines of bone protruding from its back. The beast was huge!

Before it had even gone two steps it collapsed down dead. Off of its back hopped a tiny girl dressed predominantly in pink with bright orange hair and a gigantic war hammer in her hands. It was a fearsome sight to behold. She nudged the dead Ursa with her foot, not even so much as a twitch from it.

"Awh... It's broken..." She whined, a frown growing on her face.

From behind the beast staggered what looked to be a male, dressed all in green and panting as though he'd just run the grand national. His hair was long and black as night save for a single lock of magenta just above his left eye.

"Nora... Please don't ever do that again..." He managed to gasp out between breaths. His words fell on deaf ears however, the girl had already skipped over and past the others until she stood in the ruins. Nora was leant forward scrutinising the remaining white knight piece, her nose only centimetres away.

She picked it from its perch and held it aloft triumphantly.  
"Renny! Look how cute the pony is!" She shouted with childlike glee and a twinkle in her eyes. She skipped over to him and presented the piece to him.

"Well, I've always been more of a rook man myself but I like it." He nodded with a smile.

"Uh... Guys? It's coming back..." Jaune said pointing to the Grimm banking round above them, making ready for another strafing run. His words fell on deaf ears however as Weiss stomped off, finally finished chastising Ruby and seized one of the pieces. It was a the matching rook piece to the one in Jaune's pocket.

"Guys! It's coming in again! Scatter!" Jaune bellowed cutting off the others even as he dived behind one of the pillars for cover. The other initiates soon cottoned on to what he meant and found cover of their own even as the feathers struck, burying themselves into the earth and stonework alike.

"You seem to have upset that Nevermore." Ren said, his voice sounding remarkably calm despite everything that was happening.

"Blame _her_!" Weiss said with a scowl pointing at her partner. This was too much for Jaune, and by the looks of it Yang wasn't too far off herself. This had to stop, they couldn't bicker among themselves now.

"Just stop!" He snapped. "What is your problem? We can't bicker among ourselves, there will be plenty of time for that once we've dealt with our big bird flappy-"

"Nevermore?" Pyrrha offered.

"-Nevermore problem. For goodness sake you're behaving like a child. Now we can only do this if we work _together._" He finished, blushing slightly. It wasn't like him to step up and calm down a situation.

"He's right..." Blake said surprising them all. "We have bigger problems right now."

"Alright... Fine." The heiress sighed. "How do you propose we deal with that thing?" They all looked to Jaune expectantly, why? Why did things always backfire on him so badly, he had no idea what do do. He looked up and watched the bird as it swooped around for another pass. If only they could reach it to get a hit in on it.

"That's it!" he cried quite suddenly, startling the others.

"Well? Spit it out already." The impatient Schnee insisted.

"It's main advantage is its ability to fly right?"

They nodded. But said nothing so he continued.

"So all we have to do is bring it to the ground and finish it off down here. As long as it can fly we will be at a sever disadvantage."

Ruby saw the triumph in his eyes and stepped forward drawing Crescent Rose, the mechanical scythe unfolding with a series of clicks and whirs.

"You have a plan?" She asked, her eyes wide. He nodded in response.

"I have a plan."

* * *

**There it is, the revamped and much better version I believe. I plan to split initiation down into a couple of chapters rather than just the one. There will be canon elements, however I will seek to apply my own take on things as it progresses. For those of you who were wondering the Kraiken was based off of the watcher from LOTR. ****As always please do follow, favourite and most importantly review. Please do let me know what you thought of this version.**

**Next time we shall have the Nevermore fight. As some of you may have noticed, I will be switching the teams around somewhat to both make things more interesting and allow for easier RoseArc and Arkos development.**

**Many thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	3. No More Nevermore

**Hello once again, coming at you now with the latest chapter. I present to you all the second and concluding part to the Initiation arc. Without any further ado, here it is. I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

Jaune watched the skies with great anticipation, a huge black bird wheeled around coming to bear down directly on him. A Nevermore, the raven-like species of Grimm and currently angry as all hell at the blonde knight. He gulped as it loosed a shriek, a war cry, and began its dive towards him. This was exactly what he had wanted, or thought he had wanted. His plan was a solid one, it was his job to lure it down low enough for them to strike at it.

Allowing himself a quick glance around he saw his fellow initiates all crouched out of sight behind the ruins and various trees, all awaiting his signal to make their move. Seven pairs of eyes all watching him with single-minded intensity and determination the likes of which he had never seen before.

He shifter his deep blue eyes off of them and back skyward to find their foe a lot closer than he had expected and closing fast. Jaune raised his shield and hoped by all the gods that it wouldn't choose to feather-shot him. To his slight relief it raised up its feet and opened its talons as though to grab him and carry him off to gods only knew where.

Cerulean blue eyes locked with hate-filled red as the ungodly avian flew ever closer to him. Steeling his nerves Jaune frantically began to try and gauge the distance, his mind crying out in blind terror for him to turn and flee but he couldn't his whole plan was currently hinging on him for it to work, besides, it was too late for him to run now.

He narrowed his eyes and watched the Grimm dive ever further and faster over the lip of his shield, only mere moments from it taking him off into the sky as its prize and killing him.

_'Steady now Jaune, not yet... Just a little further...Just a little bit... Now!'_

"Now!" He shouted.

Out from behind the ruins darted the ever energetic and slightly mad Nora Valkyrie, her gargantuan hammer Magnhild drawn and ready. Behind her and with more than the one grunt of exertion Yang hefted one of the ruins' ancient stone blocks, aided by one of Weiss' glyphs. The brawler hoisted the rock over her head, her eyes burning red as those of the Grimm.

With one final hoarse cry she hurled the rock skyward, not at the Nevermore but rather in front of it. Weiss using one of her glyphs to aid in both accuracy and propulsion, angling it in between both Nora and the soulless raven.

"Nora, nail it!" Jaune gave the order the Valkyrie had been waiting for. With a giggle she jumped onto the head of her hammer and with a pink explosion launched herself up and shooting towards the aged boulder mid-flight. She cocked back her hammer and with and almighty swing slammed it into the rock.

Another explosive report sounded out as she augmented her swing with one of her grenades. In a mere instant the once solid reminder of man's architectural past was converted to powder. The huge cloud of dust was sent flying forwards and into the eyes of the approaching Grimm. Nora landed and both she and Jaune threw themselves out of the path of the now temporarily blinded Nevermore.

Looking up from the ground Jaune just caught the bird flying straight into the fringe of the forest, ripping trees right out of the ground in a cloud of dust and earth with a cry of anguished pain. The initiates set off at a run towards the spot of the monsters impromptu landing. The dust settled as they approached.

The Nevermore had gouged a huge strip of the ground out, churning up the soil beneath. Trees once strong, deep-rooted and immovable against the ages now lay strewn about the beast's crash site. At the end of this trail of destruction lay the monster in question. It seemed dazed and confused. Both wings jutted out at awkward angles, the bones within having shattered after colliding with so many of the trees.

Jaune looked on in disbelief, astonished that the first part of his plan had paid of quite as well as that. Whether it was due to his plan being a solid one or sheer dumb luck he didn't know or care. He looked to the initiates running alongside him and barked his orders.

"Yang, Ruby Weiss and Blake. You guys go take out its right wing... Completely. Pyrrha, Nora and Ren you're with me!" The initiates listened intently as he spoke and called out the affirmative, their wave splitting effectively in two with each half swerving off and towards their respective sides of the Grimm.

The Nevermore itself seemed to have recovered from its confusion and was flailing its maimed wings around in what appeared to be an effort to take to the air again. Pained screeches were the only result of its efforts. It was clear that with wings that badly broken it wouldn't be flying anywhere anytime soon.

It gave up trying once it caught sight of the eight teenagers running full pelt towards it. It folded its wings awkwardly and ruffled its feathers in a warning. The eight ignored it and bore down on the beast spreading out and approaching from as many different directions as possible. For the oversized bird manoeuvres in between the trees were greatly restricted. Every move it made stripped several of the surrounding trees of their bark and brought a fresh wail of pain as its severely crippled wings were pressed against the trees.

Jaune ran up until the Nevermore cast him in shadow, sword drawn and poised to do his part. He leapt out of the way as a beak crashed into the ground where he had just been. It seemed the Nevermore had given up on its ruined wings and sought to peck them into oblivion. A wise move for the bird indeed. The Grimm backed up further until its tail feathers scrapes against the forest behind.

Jaune watched in horror as the Nevermore landed a direct hit on Ruby, the tip of its beak plowing directly into her chest and sending her flying. There was a cloud of rose petals as Ruby was thrown back. She hit the dirt with a dull thud, for a moment it seemed like she might not be getting up but slowly, she staggered back upright. Yang gave out and anguished cry as the Rose was hit, the relief on her face was palpable at seeing her sister recover. The Nevermore was in for a world of pain.

Yang stomped her way towards the beast at a slow and terrifying pace. Her eyes burned crimson signifying her semblance had kicked in. Her gauntlets were deployed and her fists formed into tight balls trembling with suppressed rage. Her long blonde hair seemed to be aflame, a more intimidating visage Jaune couldn't have imagined.

The Nevermore paused with what seemed to be a brief flash of fear in its beady eyes. It shook its head as though to clear it and dove forward to peck her again, she was moving slowly in a straight line after all. The other initiates had stopped dead, all seven pairs of eyes fixed on the blonde in a mixture of concern and intrigue, curious to see these two immovable titans clash head-to-head.

The beak shot forth straight at the blonde's chest and for a moment it seemed a dead cert that it would strike her again. Time seemed to slow to a snails pace as the tip of the beak drew closer and closer to her. Quicker than the eye could follow she brought her wrist up and knocked the attack aside in a shower of sparks. The other fist she brought up into the underside of its beak. One of her dust shells discharged on contact causing an explosion of bright red fire.

The Nevermore's head snapped back with a series of sickening crunches as its spine compressed sharply effectively converting its vertebrae into powder from the sheer force alone. The Nevermore collapsed forward, seemingly paralysed, the brawler stepped out of the way calmly, the fight appearing to be over. Jaune relaxed a little.

Yang wasn't done there though, oh no. She took a step or two towards the raven-like Grimm and smiled innocently. The nevermore looked into her eyes in terror, all anger long since having disappeared from its eyes. With a roar she proceeded to launch a furious assault on the creature sending a flurry of heavy punches directly into the avian Grimm's face, each one irking a new pained cry from the monster. Deep cracks appeared in the thick bone plates on its face until one heavy, dust augmented punch shattered them and sent fragments flying in all directions and burying them in the surrounding foliage.

The enraged fist-fighter continued to pummel the Nevermore's head even after its skull had collapsed and the burning red eyes had been extinguished. At last she stopped, black blood spattered all over her outfit. The blonde beauty took a calming breath extinguishing the flames in her hair and returning her eyes to lilac. In defiance, she spat on the corpse of her foe and dropped to one knee as fatigue washed over her. The seven initiates shot over to her side.

"That was incredible! I've never even heard of someone fist-fighting a giant Nevermore before! It was the most scary thing I've ever seen but it was just so cool!" Ruby squealed running over, wincing in pain with each step. She launched herself at her sister, arms like bands of steel around the blonde's waist.

"Relax little sister, I'm fine..." She said standing up again, she looked over to Jaune. "Sorry I messed up the plan."

"It's alright." He laughed "I'm just glad you're still in one piece. Just remind me never to upset you... like ever, even slightly."

"Damn straight." She chuckled "So what do we do now?"

Jaune thought for a moment, the cogs in his mind whirring as he fought to concoct a plan. Before he got the chance to voice his ideas however, Weiss stepped forward with a stern look on her face. If looks could kill, the forest would have wilted then and there.

"Just what did you think you were doing you brute?!" She demanded. Yang just gave her a questioning look, it lacked any real interest. If anything it seemed as though she found the heiress boring.

"We had a plan! By trying to play the hero you broke the plan and put us all in jeopardy! What would have happened if you had been hurt or even killed?"

"Relax Ice Queen... I killed it didn't I? That's all that matters." Yang waved the Heiress off.

Jaune took a small step back away from the squabbling two. He could see Weiss' temper rising by the moment, a single vein bulging in her forehead. The struggle to maintain her cool was showing clearly on her face. Fire and Ice, the two couldn't be any more different if they tried.

"Please stop. If we continue to bicker and squabble among ourselves then not only will it bring down morale, it will also attract Grimm to the area. We mustn't forget that they are attracted to negativity." The two girls clamped their mouths shut as new voice joined the fray, louder than the others and yet possessing an air about it that served to calm the warring huntresses. The party looked around in shock to find that it was in fact Ren whom had spoken, it was the first time he had uttered a word since they had all met back at the ruins.

"He speaks!" Yang teased with a wide smile.

"Yes and so do you, a little loud for my liking..." Weiss scowled.

Jaune could sense the two getting ready to commence their verbal onslaught anew. Before they could, he stepped in between them pushing them apart. It couldn't go on, _especially_ if their bickering would bring fresh Grimm into the area. That was something he wasn't willing to risk.

"We should begin making our way back to the cliffs, we have completed our primary goal after all." Ren stated and turned to walk off with Nora skipping alongside him. His voice had sounded monotonous, almost as though he were fed up or bored of the brawler and the heiress. His idea was accepted by them all, as one by one they followed on after him. Ruby tugged lightly on her sister's elbow, Yang shot the ice queen one last glare before following her sister off to the South and in the direction of Beacon cliffs.

* * *

Glynda stared incredulously at her scroll, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. It sent shivers down her spine to see the pulped remains of the giant Nevermore. Never before in over a decade of watching initiations had she ever seen a student punch one of the gigantic avian Grimm to death, to do so would require extraordinary strength.

"Ozpin, did you..?" She asked, her voice a little shaky. He smirked slightly, it was a rare occasion that Goodwitch was this perturbed by anything.

"I did, it seems we have quite the impressive group of students..."

"It seems we may have underestimated them."

"And what of Mr. Arc, what do you think of his performance thus far?"

"I...I may have been a little hasty..." She admitted, her cheeks colouring pink. "It seems that while his combat skill may be lacking, by a considerable margin might I add, that he does possess an impressively tactical mind. It took him little time at all to plot the downfall of the Nevermore, although it was incredibly reckless."

"Sometimes, reckless plans are the best for a situation. It makes you spontaneous and helps to keep our foes guessing. It may have worked had it not been for Miss Xiao-Long's outburst."

Glynda frowned once again and sighed. Though it pained her to admit it, the wizened old headmaster did have a point. Up until the young brawler had gone on the offensive, the knight's plan had been going well. They were mere moments from swarming the monstrous raven and bringing an end to it. Indeed, she would have to keep an eye on the young Arc boy it seemed.

"They are on the approach to Beacon cliffs, they should be with us again in a matter of minutes." She informed him.

Ozpin didn't say a word in response, he was deep within his own thoughts. The headmaster watched the holographic screen of his scroll with great interest, his critical eyes analysing the eight teenagers as they made their way back towards him. He idly sipped his coffee with a smile, it seemed to him that these eight teenagers would play a part in shaping the future of both Vale and the entirety of Remnant. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

The return journey towards the cliffs had been hard going to say the least. It had long since passed midday, the sun on the final stretch of its journey across the sky. Already the once blue sky had begun to shift to orange in the face of the approaching dusk.

Jaune and his friends were still walking back through the forest towards their cliffs and the end of their trials. Progress had been slow as they weaved in between the thick trunks of the trees. Roots and thorn bushes had tripped them and grasped at their clothes with unrelenting persistence leaving them hot, bothered and fraying at their patience.

At first, conversation had flowed between them as easily as water from one side of a lake to the other. They had discussed many things from their upbringing and family (Weiss and Blake remained silent throughout and listened despite urging from the others), their hopes, dreams and other things down to the tiniest details such as favourite foods.

The story exchanges were good for morale, none of them so much as Jaune. His stories of his life with seven sisters had them laughing on more than one occasion, often to the point of tears. In particular they seemed to enjoy hearing about the times his sister forced him into wearing girl's clothes including one particularly uncomfortable incident involving a maid's outfit. The struggle between his sisters and he had been legendary and woken up half of the street before they had managed to subdue him

Ren and Nora had brought in the stories of their time growing up together, tales of their youth living next door to one another and how they had found true companionship in the form of each other. Hearing their words formed a pit in Jaune's heart, he desired the self-same companionship they had described. As a child things had been lonely, the human children had exiled him because he was seen as a faunus sympathiser and the faunus children didn't trust him because he was human. It was a vicious circle of rejection.

Yet as time wore on and their energies began to wane, the sounds of laughter became softer and more lacklustre, the smiles had become more half-hearted and their eyes had dimmed until they eventually gave up telling stories all together and focussed solely on putting one foot infront of the other.

The trees before them began to thin out until they emerged into the dying sunlight at the foot of the cliffs. They stood as the final thousand foot barrier between them and rest. Jaune's heart sank as he looked up at the rock face, he wasn't afraid of the climb. Given time he was sure that he could do it, it was the thousand foot fall to his inevitable death that terrified him.

"We can't climb that..." Weiss frowned looking up at the sheer rock wall. "We'll have to find another way up there..."

Jaune thought for a moment, he looked up and down the base of the cliffs for any way that might have been left for them to return to the top. To his dismay none presented themselves. His eyes trailed down the cold stone to the base of the cliff where they settled on the heiress...

"Weiss, what is the range on your glyphs." He asked slowly, thinking about the likelihood of his half-formed plan actually working.

"I can summon them anywhere within sight, provided that I have the time to concentrate." She answered in a very proud manner.

"Then do you think you can set us up with steps to the very top of the cliffs?"

"Can I?" She repeated confidently.

"...can you?" Ruby asked a little confused.

"Of course I can!" The heiress snapped.

Weiss gave a hefty sigh and closed her eyes. After taking a few moments to calm her breathing she flicked her wrist and pointed to the cliffs. Almost instantaneously a series of white glyphs appeared in running up the rock-face, they hummed slightly and resonated with energy.

"Well? I can't hold them forever, get a move on!" She huffed.

Jaune nodded and gestured to the glyphs, they were pulsing slightly. The seven teenagers made their way over to them. The knight gulped and stepped onto the first glyph. There was a mad rushing sensation and the sound of gale force wind in his ears as he was propelled upwards faster than he dared think.

He soared up and high above the cliff top, he hung there for a brief moment before dropping down fifty feet and onto the plates from which they had all been launched from that morning. He rolled to dissipate the impact of his rather abrupt landing. He was followed in short order by; Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Yang, Blake, Ruby and finally Weiss. The heiress landed with a soft 'hmph' and stepped over to the knight.

"Told you I could do it." she stated proudly, Jaune stepped over and place a hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"Thank-you Weiss, you saved us all a dangerous climb and an awful lot of effort." She smiled at that, a slight one, barely noticeable but it was there. Before they had the chance to discuss anything further they were met by the familiar visage of Ozpin and Goodwitch, both had warm smiles on their faces and what seemed to be pride.

"Congratulations to you all on your successful completion of the initiation task. We have monitored your progress and are satisfied that you are all ready to continue your training to become huntsmen and huntresses here at Beacon combat academy. As the school's Headmaster it is my pleasure to offer you all places as first year students. Do you accept?"

"Yes thank-you Sir!" Eight voices replied simultaneously with great enthusiasm.

"Then all that remains is for me to say 'Welcome to Beacon'. Now, if you would be so kind as to hand over the relics that you retrieved?"

The four pairs all searched briefly in their pockets before producing and handing over their oversized chess pieces. Two white knights and two white rooks. Ozpin raised an eyebrow as Goodwitch stepped forward to collect the 'relics'.

"Thank you. You will return to the ballroom for now where you may wash and change until all of the students have returned. Once everyone is assembled and prepared we will host the initiation ceremony and decide the final teams of four. You are dismissed."

* * *

Jaune stumbled on tired feet back towards his bedroll from the previous night. It may not have been luxury but after the day he had had, it was more inviting that the finest hotels in all of Remnant and the way he saw it, he had earned it.

Pyrrha was sat on her own bedding next to his with a smile on her face, having relocated it the moment they had returned arguing that they were partners and that it meant they simply had to stick together. Not that he minded of course, he was still thanking each and every one of his lucky stars for being paired up with her.

"So Jaune, you must be happy to have been paired with _the_ Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss said with a smile as she came over to sit with them, Ruby in tow behind her, a plate of cookies in hand.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"You're partnered with Pyrrha Nikos, four time Mistral regional tournament champion?" She answered, her tone showing how thin her patience were staring to wear.

"The what?"

"She's on the front of _every _'Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes' box!" She cried out flapping her arms. Jaune looked at her in disbelief before turning to look at his partner, she had a fed up expression on her face and was shooting a less than friendly glare at the heiress. He thought back to the cereal box and just like a flash of lightning, it clicked. His eyes grew wide in shock, how could he not have seen it sooner?

"That was _you?!_" He gasped, looking at her with reverent awe.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool... Shame the cereal isn't very good for you..." She sighed.

"That's so cool!" He cried out.

"So you're glad then?" Weiss interjected. Returning to her original question.

"Y-yeah! Not just because she's famous though, I mean that is cool and all but the Grimm don't care if you're famous or a commoner, there is no distinction for them between the two. All I know is that Pyrrha saved my life out there. To me that matters most." He smiled. Besides him Pyrrha seemed to release a poorly concealed sigh of relief, why that was Jaune had no idea but deep down he had the feeling he'd done the right thing.

Ruby grinned and offered her plate of cookies to them, she waited for them all to take one each before she demolished the rest of them with a speed and ferocity seldom seen. Weiss looked as though she wanted to scold the younger girl but bit her tongue smiling apologetically to their company.

"These are good cookies Ruby!" Jaune smiled taking another bite of his. "Where did you get them?"

She shrugged. "I bumped into Professor Ozpin coming back from the shower and he gave me them." The young rose grinned. Jaune couldn't help but notice just how pleasant her smile was, it was so innocent and full of joy that he put him at ease. Why it was that she had such an effect on him he didn't know, but it sent him reeling.

* * *

The overhead lights shone brightly down onto the amphitheatre's stage. On stage left waiting to go on were Jaune and the rest of the initiates. The blonde's hands trembles as his nerves once again took over. He prayed fervently that everything would go well and that he wouldn't mess up by tripping on the way onto the stage, or that he was pass out from embarrassment alone.

Ozpin and Goodwitch were stood by the microphone, she had her large scroll out in front of her and was tapping away furiously in the few remaining moments whilst the audience settled in. The audience itself seemed to be several hundred strong, the whole student population of Beacon itself. The initiates were led out onto the stage together and lined up at the back. They had only been told to step forward when their names were called.

The speakers boomed a little as Ozpin cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Thank you all or gathering here on such short notice to witness the start of our initiates journey here at Beacon, along the way, they will face countless dangers. It is only by the mutual support of our peers that we can fight through these dangers and emerge stronger for it. Blake Belladonna, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie and Yang Xiao-Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forth you shall be known as Team Burgundy(BRNY) led by; Blake Belladonna."

Polite applause from the audience masked Blake's surprised gasp but did little to disguise the expression of shock on her face. Ozpin stepped forward and congratulated each member of the newly formed team personally, lingering a little longer to seemingly offer some words of wisdom to Blake before her team exited stage right to collect their dorm keys and watch the rest of the ceremony.

"Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose." Ozpin continued.

At the very mention of his name, Jaune's hands trembled ever more, he balled his hands into tight fists to stop them shaking but was only partly successful. His heart pounded faster and faster as he stepped forward to where BRNY had stood mere moments before.

"You shall form team Jasper (JSPR) and will be led by... Jaune Arc."

"What?!" Jaune cried out in sheer surprise as his heart skipped a beat, this couldn't be right. At his side Pyrrha gave him a playful punch, beaming at him, and sent his arm numb. He didn't even react. He simply watched dumb founded as Ozpin made the rounds of _his _team, congratulating them all personally. As he had with Blake, Ozpin paused in front of Jaune, and, with a smile shook his hand.

"We're expecting great things from you Mr. Arc, keep up the good work. Don't be afraid of your new responsibilities, I can tell you're a little daunted but you will do just fine. Stand by your team no matter what and they shall do the same for you. Congratulations."

Jaune stumbled off of the stage in a daze, the whole world seemed to spin before him. It was all so very much to take in. Ozpin was certainly right, he felt daunted and lost, unsure of what to do next or what his newest responsibilities were. The blonde was about to embark on a journey of discovery and undoubted adventure. He was sure he would work it out, one step at a time. He had a team now, and he was their leader.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Yang is one scary individual, especially where Ruby is concerned. So now we have it, our two teams; JSPR and BRNY (bit of a play on Yang's semblance there too.) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, Next time we'll see how the teams adapt to classes and their positions within their respective teams (Weiss, I'm looking at you.) I'm hoping you are all enjoying these re-written chapters better than the old ones. I'm trying to separate them from the set canon for the show and make them a little more interesting to read. Please let me know what you think and how I might improve on them.**

**As always, please do Favourite, follow and especially review. All your reviews help me improve my writing and the story as a whole. **

**Many thanks once again and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	4. What Makes a Team?

**Hello everyone, hope you're all keeping well. Here is the latest chapter, might not quite be up to the same standards as the others but I hope you like it all the same. It was a bit of a ball-ache to write if I'm honest. I had the ideas just couldn't put it into words, but with a fair bit of swearing and several long breaks it is finally done. Dig in, its going to be a bumpy ride.**

* * *

Jaune sighed as both his team and BRNY left Port's class. In truth, when he had heard that he would be studying under the illustrious Professor Peter Port, he had naturally been excited. The legendary huntsman famed for killing over three hundred Beowolves in a single encounter to save an entire town, single handedly, was going to be teaching them!

The professor was not, however, what he had expected. In fact the reality was about as far from the tall, dark and mysterious figure that the blonde leader had been expecting as was physically possible.

This legendary hero had turned out to be an ironically portly man in what Jaune guessed to be his mid fifties with greying hair and little left but his stellar moustache and tails of grandeur. Not the best start to the year to be certain. Even the fire in Ruby's eyes had seemingly dimmed at the mere sight of him. It would seem that even the little rose had been expecting something a little more.

Throughout his first lecture with the Professor, all Jaune could think about was when the bell would ring. At one point he managed to calculate, down to the second, exactly how long he had left. A part of him felt guilty for not giving Port a fair chance, but it was hard to given just how boring his lecture was. It had started out well with the senior huntsman giving a brief summary of what Grimm were, their origins and the various different classifications therein but had quickly devolved into a self promotional story of near ridiculous length.

There had been an audible sigh of relief when the bell had finally rung, after what seemed like an eternity, to signal the end of class. The rush for the door wasn't quite the mad dash he had expected, but rather a singular movement with an insistent sense of urgency.

Jaune checked his scroll for his timetable to see that their next lesson was combat studies with Professor Goodwitch in the training centre. In truth this was the one that Jaune had perhaps been looking forward to the most. Events in initiation had instilled a sense of self confidence the likes of which he hadn't felt in a long while. The prospect of being able to test his combat abilities in a sparring match against the other students excited him to say the least.

Teams JSPR and BRNY made their way out into the campus, bright sunlight warming them as the walked along. Jaune felt his neck begin to sweat under his shirt and tie. It didn't really make sense to him that even in the height of summer, all Beacon students had to wear the official uniform no matter how hot. Already there had been three cases of students being carried off to the infirmary with sunstroke.

After a short walk, Beacon's multi-million Lien training compound rose up before them. It was a gigantic building and a masterpiece of modern architecture. The complex had a futuristic look about it. It's walls were composed entirely of smart glass panes, gleaming brightly in the sun despite being tinted in reaction to the brilliant sunshine. Sweeping steel arches wrapped themselves around the structure providing both an unusual aesthetic appeal as well as additional structural integrity.

Jaune and his friends continued on and through the gigantic sliding doors and towards the sparring room. It was huge, easily big enough to comfortably accommodate for twenty five sparring partnerships, with plenty of room to spare. The eight first years made their way up into the stands to take their places with the other first years.

Goodwitch arrived not long afterwards, her heels click-clacking against the hard stone floor of the facility. She marched more than walked, her usual stern expression fixed in place. Jaune wondered why it was that she always seemed so impatient or angry.

"Good morning students, I am to be your combat studies Professor this year. In my class you shall further improve your skills through sparring with one another in order to better prepare you all for your future lives as huntsmen and huntresses. You have all been categorized and partnered off based on the skills you demonstrated during initiation. Please listen closely whilst I read out the pairings."

Jaune leant forward listening intently as Goodwitch read out a long list of names from her scroll. Excitement bubbled up within his gut. He looked to his team to see similar expressions on their faces. Even Weiss had a confident smirk playing about her lips, it seemed that even the 'Ice Queen' herself wasn't immune to excitement.

"Ruby Rose and Sky Lark, Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc..."

Upon hearing his name Jaune's eyes darted from first year to first year seeking to identify his new sparring partner. It wasn't long before he found him and the smile faded from his face. Cardin was a much larger boy, easily a good two to three inches taller if not more and much broader in the shoulders. Two angry looking indigo eyes glared back at him with what looked to be disgust. The blonde's confidence took a nose dive and at that moment a whole horde of Beowolves might have actually been preferable to fighting Cardin.

"Very well, please change into your combat equipment and ready yourselves for your fist sparring matches." Goodwitch's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. The first years made their way through into the locker rooms and changed, returning moments later. Jaune fiddled nervously with a knot in the leather strap connected to his right pauldron.

He felt a hand gently clasp his shoulder and wheeled round in surprise to see Ruby smiling brightly at him. He gave his best smile in return but it must have shown his nerves because she frowned a little.

"Don't worry about it Jaune, you fought really well in the forest. You'll be OK now." She said softly. Reaching up on her tiptoes she moved his hands away from the armour and undid the fastenings. Straightening out the knot with quick and deft fingers she re tightened the strap again.

"I'll be rooting for my leader out there!" She giggled. The little rose gave him a quick yet firm hug before darting away to one of the sparring enclosures wherein her partner was waiting for her, halberd in hand.

JSPR's leader shook off his doubts and slowly walked towards his own assigned enclosure, the familiar weight of Crocea Mors swinging into his leg as he walked. He stood over to once side of the ring and drew his weapons giving his sword a few practice swings and adjusting his grip. His fingers fell into well-worn grooves in the weapon's hilt. Formed through generations of use.

Cardin arrived not long after, a cocky smirk on his face. Jaune gulped at the sight of the hulking first year. Winchester was adorned all in thick plate armour with a golden eagle emblazoned proudly across the front of his breastplate. Slung across his shoulder was a gigantic mace, forged of blackened steel and cruel in design. Twelve bladed flanges splayed out from the haft and curled up and round to form a caged head with a large red gem set within. If there was one thing Jaune knew, it was that he couldn't afford to take any direct hits from that weapon. Aura or no, that would do some serious damage if he wasn't careful.

Goodwitch stepped over to them before long, she synced up their scrolls to their respective aura levels and called them both to the centre of the ring so that the two combatants stood on either side of her.

"Gentlemen, this will be a standard match. You will fight until one of your auras falls into the red, at which time the klaxon will sound and the match will be over. If either of you should continue the fight once one of you has lost then there shall be serious repercussions. Is this understood?" Both of them nodded and retreated to their own sides. The professor left their arena and headed off to set another pair off.

Jaune raised his shield so that he was just peering over the top lip, his blue eyes locked onto his opponent, occasionally flicking to the three lights at the side of the arena. The first light came on, a bright amber. The blonde fought to slow his breathing and calm his nerves. The second light came on. He adjusted his grip on his sword, feeling the circulation to his fingers cut out. The third light came on, green.

The knight sprinted forwards, his sword raised and poised to strike. Cardin's eyes widened in shock at the sheer audacity that the smaller leader was exhibiting. This surprise soon passed however, aggressively shrugging, he brought his mace up and off of his shoulder and into a wide arcing swing. The sheer weight of the weapon giving it momentum.

Jaune saw the strike coming and barely managed to raise his shield in time, The mace collided with the face of his shield with a loud metallic clang and a shower of sparks. The force of the strike alone launched the blonde backwards and to the other side of the arena onto his back. The air was forced out of his lungs and left him sprawling, gasping for air.

The sparring room around them had fallen silent, every one of the fighters turned to look at the two leaders battling it out. Jaune struggled to his feet once more, his lungs burning for air and his vision flickering. With a grunt of effort he raised his shield once more. Looking around to find over thirty pairs of eyes all watching him, his already red cheeks deepened in colour. One set in particular caught his attention, deep viridian in colour and filled with concern. Pyrrha's eyes bored into him and gave him renewed determination.

He re adopted his combat stance and glared at the mace-wielder once more, now a little more aware of his capabilities. He was relieved when the sounds of combat resumed around them, glad in the knowledge that attention had once again been diverted away from them.

Taking slow and cautious steps, Jaune circled around. Opposite him Cardin did the same, his fingers drumming against the haft of his mace. Looking for any weak points, any chinks in his armour that he might be able to take advantage of. The knight had previously been relying on the idea that the bigger leader's heavier armour and weapon would have slowed him right down. This was however not the case, rather it appeared that he had worn that plate armour for so long that it had become almost a second skin to him.

"How on earth did a pipsqueak like you end up the leader of a team? A team containing Pyrrha Nikos of all people." Cardin's voice was snide and thick with malice. Jaune bit back a retort as he realised that he did in fact have a point.

"Ozpin seemed to think it was a good idea, who am I to argue with the Headmaster?" Jaune replied through gritted teeth.

"It would seem like he made a mistake. leaders need to be strong and dependable, not weak like you." He continued the smirk never once leaving his face. Jaune's anger rose up within him, burning brightly behind his eyes.

Without pausing to consider the consequences, he charged once more. Crocea Mors singing as it flew through the air. Jaune turned his body mid-strike to avoid another swing from the bastard mace. It struck the floor to his right with a loud report splintering the stone beneath their feet an sending shock-waves out in all directions. It took everything that Jaune had to keep his balance and continue his attack.

There was a metallic clang and a screech of metal on metal that set the blonde's teeth on edge. Before Jaune could fully assess the damage that his strike did, a fist connected with his face sending him back to the ground once again, the splinters of stone digging into his relatively unprotected back shooting lances of pain throughout his body as a few of them punctured his skin even through his clothes. He yelped in pain even as his aura kicked in to heal these new injuries.

Looking up to his opponent, Jaune caught his first glance of the damage he had wrought. He had opened up a huge diagonal rend had been torn through Cardin's breastplate from his left shoulder to his right hip, straight through the once-proud golden eagle. Pride bloomed in his heart at knowing that he had been responsible for such devastation. Cardin however looked a little less pleased.

"You... Look what you've done!" He growled, a savage look in his eyes. "This was my father's armour! You're in for it now..." He bellowed in rage. The hulking boy's feet sounded like the dirge of doom as he strode over to Jaune's prone form. The blonde scrambled backwards, his proud smile fading and shifting into an expression of horror.

Grabbing him roughly by the leather straps of his chest plate, Cardin hauled him up and off of his feet. The blondes legs hanging uselessly nearly a foot off of the ground. Jaune winced as the jagged metal from Cardin's sliced straight through his hoodie and cut his skin.

Cocking back a fist, CRDL's leader slammed it straight into Jaune's gut. The blonde coughed as stars danced before his eyes. A second punch winded him and caused his vision to flicker, darkness beginning creeping over him as he moved towards losing consciousness. The knight flailed and kicked against his armour in the hoped of breaking free but there was no chance. Cardin had him locked in his clutches and wasn't about to let go until he had finished venting.

The knight barely held onto his sword amidst the vicious beating he was receiving. Every time Cardin's fist connected his whole body would scream out in protest before his aura would wash over him mitigating the damage, only for the whole process to start anew moments later. Jaune frantically tried to think of a way out, to escape his opponent's relentless onslaught.

In a moment of desperation he switched his grip on Crocea Mors so that the blade hung parallel to the ground pointing behind him. Taking a moment to gather what strength he had left he swung his sword arm up and pommel struck his opposing leader in the side of the head.

Cardin cried out in pain and dropped the blonde to clamp both of his hands to his face. Jaune's legs crumpled under him as they struck the floor. With a series of pained grunts he staggered back to his feet, fighting to ignore the agony that his stomach cried out in.

Having retrieved his mace, the now thoroughly enraged Cardin once again swung at the knight, brining his gargantuan mace to bear on the wounded knight. Throwing his body into an agonising roll, he barely managed to dodge before the steel club smashed into the space he had only just occupied. Jaune back-pedalled feverishly, trying to put space between himself and the enraged mace user.

Casting a glance to his scroll he read his aura as being over half gone,and well into the amber whilst Cardin was still sitting comfortably in the green. With a growl of frustration he charged forward and launched a flurry of swings aiming to land at least one proper hit and take some of his opponent's aura down.

Cardin's face twitched angrily as he stepped out of the way of every slash Jaune tried. He gave ground steadily as the two crossed back over onto the ruined ground of their arena. The knight's arms grew numb, feeling heavier with each swing as he exhausted more and more energy with each passing moment.

By this time, the other matches around the arena had fizzled out save for a couple of die-hard fighters who still had the energy to go on. The free students gathered around to watch the two leaders have at one another.

The blonde's onslaught was stopped dead in its tracks as a knee connected with his stomach doubling him over driving the precious air from his lungs. He tried to climb back up when a fist connected with the side of his head sending him flying back to the ground unconscious just as the klaxon sounded signalling Cardin's victory.

* * *

Jaune groggily awoke several hours later in the most intense pain he had felt in his life. With the adrenaline having worn off since the bout, he could feel every single bruise throbbing in unison like hundreds of angry reminders. They seemed to be concentrated mostly around his torso and face, although some had reached his legs.

The first thing he noticed other than his own extensive injuries was the sound of voices and a gentle but firm pressure on each of his hands. He recognised the voices as those of the other three members of his team, and judging by the tone they were arguing about something.

"I don't see why that dolt didn't just yield!" that was Weiss, no doubt about it.

"Weiss, he couldn't yield! How would it look if he had yielded on the first day of school?" Countered a second voice, one which he recognised instantly as that of Ruby.

"Pyrrha, will you back me up here?!" Weiss cried out in demand. For a while afterwards the room was utterly silent. Jaune felt the pressure on his right hand increase ever so slightly for a fleeting moment before it relaxed once again.

"I don't see why it matters. What is done is done, all we can do now is wait for him to recover." Pyrrha said, her voice trembling a little with what sounded like concern.

"You won't be waiting long..." Jaune croaked, deciding to make his presence known. He tried opening his eyes but found the left one swollen beyond the point where he could. With his right eyes he briefly scanned around the room.

He was lying in a metal framed bed in a room painted a sterile white colour to match the sheets he lay under. Presumably this was the Beacon academy infirmary. Sat in chairs both on his left and right were Ruby and Pyrrha, each of them holding onto a hand tightly and to Jaune's surprise Ruby's eyes were red and puffy as though they had been crying. Across the room leant against the wall in the corner was Weiss, a scowl on her face although Jaune could have sworn their was a flicker of relief in her eyes at the sound of his voice.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried out in excitement, hugging him tightly. Jaune winced in pain at the contact and she soon shot back with a bright blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry... It's just we were worried about you."

"Thanks Ruby." He smiled weakly, reaching out with his now-free hand and ruffling her hair. The rose pouted adorably when he did and immediately set about trying to fix her locks back in their usual places when he finished.

Pyrrha responded in a much more subdued manner, smiling brightly at him with a film of tears in her eyes. Jaune blushed a little as his soft blue eyes met with her intense emerald ones.

"Hey partner." He grinned.

"Hey." She replied with a giggle. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a horde of Ursai decided to dance the fandango on my head." He winced. "What happened exactly, last thing I remember was combat studies and then... nothing."

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened! Cardin absolutely destroyed you!" Weiss snapped, stepping into the fray in her usual brusque manner. She seemed to exude pure rage and Jaune simply couldn't work out why.

"W-Weiss why are you mad at me? I did my bes-"

"Well your best wasn't good enough Jaune! How are you supposed to lead when you can hardly defend yourself? Well?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Neither do I... Ozpin made a mistake." She snarled and stormed out of the room leaving all three of her teammates in complete silence. Jaune's eyes welled up and tears began to roll steadily down his cheeks. Weiss had struck at his very core, targeting the part of him that was the most vulnerable.

"J-Jaune... are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, placing a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

"She's right." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Ruby said, clasping his hand in between both of her own.

"She's right, I'm not right for leadership. Ozpin made a mistake." He sighed.

"Did I now? And what makes you say that Mr. Arc?" All three sets of eyes snapped onto the old headmaster as he stepped into the room, ever present coffee mug in hand.

"How am I meant to lead? It's like she said, I can barely protect myself let alone the others around me. Surely any of the other members of my team would be better suited for the role?"

"Girls, would you mind giving us a moment?" Ozpin asked after a moment, Ruby and Pyrrha nodded and stood to leave the room. Both girls shooting him one last concerned glance before stepping outside and closing the door behind them. Once they were gone Ozpin sighed and took a seat at Jaune's bedside, resting his cane against the arm of the chair.

"Jaune." He began, surprising the knight by addressing him by his first name. "Being a leader isn't just a title that you carry with you into battle but a badge you wear permanently. You are always bound by the rules and responsibilities accompanying that position. What would you say those responsibilities are?"

"I-I guess to protect your team, and lead them in battle in the best way to stop them getting hurt?"

"I agree, that is part of it. But don't forget that your team isn't just limited to when you're in battle. You are always a team, at least while here at Beacon, both on the field of battle and off of it. You as a leader will be the one that your team will look to for guidance and support."

"But what if I can't give them that support?"

"Jaune it has only been one day, you're still settling into your new role as a leader. Give it time, I'm sure you'll come to terms with it soon enough."

"S-so it wasn't a mistake?"

"I have more mistakes than any man, woman or child on this earth, but I don't think that electing you as leader of your team is one of them. Give it time, you'll see." The Professor smiled standing up once again and heading for the door. "Now, I have taken up far too much of your time, and your teammates seemed to be eager to stay. A swift recovery to you Mr. Arc." The professor nodded opening the door.

"Thank you Professor." Jaune croaked. Ozpin smiled and left just as Pyrrha and Ruby shot back in and returned to their seats in a flurry of movement and a cloud of rose petals.

"What was that about?" Ruby asked.

"He uh... He just wanted to make sure I was alright." Jaune answered, a slight smile on his face as he wiped away the tears from his eyes.

* * *

Weiss' feet clacked against the worn stone floor, echoing down Beacon's long corridors. She was furious, both with Arc for appearing so weak and with herself for her own outburst. It all seemed so ridiculous that she, Weiss Schnee, had been cast aside for Jaune Arc to take the position of team leader. She had trained for a great many years in the best schools, under the best teachers and with the best equipment to be pipped to the post by that blonde buffoon.

She threw open the doors and stalked out into the gardens, seeking to calm herself amongst the buds, flowers and trees, just as she had always done at the Schnee family manor in Atlas. As she walked the paved pathways, bordered by well-kept flowerbeds filled with every colour of flora imaginable. Ever since she was small, Weiss had found solace walking in the gardens. Perhaps it was the order and organisation of it all, the sheer amount off effort and variation that the gardeners went to to create such slices of heaven or perhaps it was the feeling of being out in the open air and surrounded by all that was good and beautiful in the world.

The gravel path cork-screwed its way around a small hillock up to the very top where there stood an old oak tree with a bench carved out of its twisted mass of roots, the tree's mighty trunk was covered in a vast mat of lichens and mosses. Overhead its branches formed a solid umbrella of leaves shading the bench below and bathing it is green light as the bright sunlight shone through the canopy above.

She unsheathed Myrtenaster and jabbed it into the ground in front of the bench before taking a seat to look out over the gardens. The view was incredible and soon helped her forget all of her stresses and concerns. The various fragrances from the multitude of flowers below all blended together to form one perfume so pleasant that should Weiss have had a bottle of it she would have worn it every day.

She sat back with a sigh, content to watch the world go by around her. The flowers below waving gently in the breeze and the puffy clouds above wheeling over her. It was perhaps the most relaxing setting on the whole campus. The Heiress was brought back into reality by the sounds of gravel crunching underfoot, sitting upright and her frosty exterior returning she prepared to meet her visitor.

To her surprise it was the headmaster himself. Ozpin made his way up the slope at a steady pace despite using a cane. Weiss had assumed that he had an old hunting wound and needed his cane to walk properly and yet he showed no signs of a limp in his gait. He walked over towards the bench and motioned with his hand to the free space on the bench beside her.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." In reality, Weiss minded very much but years of etiquette training in Atlas had taught her to be polite despite everything. Ozpin thanked her and took a seat on the polished wood of the bench.

"Miss Schnee, I hear that you have had a bit of a dispute with Mr Arc and believe I made a mistake in appointing him. Is this true?" He asked after a while. His voice calm and neutral, neither swayed towards nor against the young Heiress. This didn't stop her from blushing in sheer embarrassment at the question.

"I-it is sir." She admitted.

"And what is it that led you to that belief?" He locked her with his deep brown eyes.

"Well he can barely look after himself! His combat is amateurish at best and he is completely incapable in the field! He has no self restraint, is a completely irresponsible dolt and has no idea how to lead!" She explained, her voice rising in volume as she went on. Ozpin waited patiently until she was finished completely.

"Miss Schnee, Mr Arc may well be all of those things but he is still your team leader. As his teammate, your strengths fuel his strengths and your downfalls are his. As his team you must all support him just as he must support you. Think of your team as four pieces of wood, individually you are easily broken and scattered to the four winds, but together you present a much stronger force than if you were apart. Leadership isn't based of physical strength, being able to swing a sword doesn't make you a leader. A leader must have a tactical mind. Mr Arc demonstrated that when he proposed his plan to bring down the Nevermore."

"But what about his academic abilities? Won't he bring the team down?" She continued, seeking to drive her point home.

"What about them? If he falls down, you as his team should pull him up. A team is a symbiotic circle with the team supporting their leader wherever possible and vice versa. It is only the first day Miss Schnee, give Mr Arc a chance to settle into his new role and adapt. You never know, he may pleasantly surprise you."

Weiss fell silent as she digested all that the headmaster had said. Perhaps he was right, she had been rather hasty is casting her aspersions on him as a leader. Well, if it was true that as a member of team JSPR she had to support her leader, then she would do just that. She was going to be the very best teammate that Jaune could have.

"I think I'll take my leave, Professor Goodwitch has likely noticed that I have snuck out by now. I had best get back, enjoy the rest of your afternoon." He smiled, standing up and walking away again.

* * *

Roman leant back in his small chair with his feet on the nearby table, taking long drags on his cigar and blowing clouds of smoke. A single lantern lit up a fair sized area around the table and was otherwise his only real source of illumination. In his free hand he had an uncorked bottle of the finest Mistralian wine, an excellent vintage to be sure.

All around him were stacked cargo containers some three high and two deep. Every one of them was marked with a large white snowflake and the words Schnee Dust Company as well as numerous hazard signs explaining the explosive nature of their respective contents. All in all it had been an excellent haul, one for the record books.

The warehouse he was situated in made for the best place to stash the dust, it was one of the SDC's disused and abandoned properties by the docks, dating back to when dust was shipped by sea. After numerous pirate attacks, they were forced to transport the crystals directly from the quarries to their destination by both rail and air. As such, the dock storehouses were abandoned and left to rot.

"Ah, Roman. Are you quite comfortable enough?" A sultry female voice asked from beyond the lit circle. Golden eyes glowed ominously in the dark as a tall and slender woman stepped into view. She was wearing a long sleeved red silk dress which fell to her mid thigh. It was decorated with fantastical patterns is golden thread all the way up the arms

"Cinder!" He cried out in surprise, bringing his feet off the table and almost dropping the bottle in his hand.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I interrupt your little...celebration?" She chuckled.

"Well, yeah... We now own most of the dust in Vale. I've got this whole town running scared." He smirked holding his arms out wide proudly showing off his haul.

"That's very nice Roman. But mostly pointless, your robberies were just a distraction after all. A plot to keep everyone's eyes away from the real threat. We're ready to move onto phase two, I need you to be prepared to go when I give the signal."

Before Roman could even answer she was gone again leaving him wondering if she had ever been there at all. With a resigned sigh he sat back down taking a long draught from the bottle. Events had been set in motion that could not been reversed, events that Vale would likely never forget.

* * *

**So what did you think? Be sure to let me know in the reviews. One of you mentioned that Jaune might be a little OP which was true. It was pretty interesting to write the disputes within the team, as well as Ozpin's intervention. He strikes me as the type to play god with the teams to try and open their eyes and get them thinking differently.**

**Please follow and favourite if you liked it, I'll try and get the next chapter written within the week since next weekend is my 18th birthday party and lord knows what state I'll be in the day afterwards. If I don't get it written by then I'm sorry.**

**I have been TheFlagshipArkos, you have been my awesome readers and as always; I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	5. The Masters Take their Pupil

**Hello everyone, hope you're all OK. There was an incredible reaction to the last chapter, I think I almost died when I saw the increase in reviews, favourites and follows. In other news, this story is now above the 100 follower count which is truly incredible, especially after only four chapters! I really cannot thank you all enough for the support that you have shown for my writing. I still get such a kick from seeing names pop up as new followers for my work. It is you, the readers, that make all of this possible. Without you all I wouldn't be able to keep improving and writing what I love, well I could keep writing but what's the point if there's no-one to share it with. Anyway, I have rambled on for quite long enough. On with the story!**

* * *

"Seven hundred and thirty three." Jaune confirmed with a nod. It had taken him a little while but he had finally, after double-checking thirteen times, established the precise number of tiles on both the ceiling and the floor of his room in the infirmary. Counting them had been his only source of entertainment for the past three hours.

With his team having been sent back into lessons, the blonde was left all alone for the best part of the day with next to no-one to talk to. He had enjoyed brief conversations with the various nurses and doctors that had come in to check on him or deliver his various meals, but for the most part he was left to his own devices.

It was the last day though, the final few hours of his forced imprisonment. After many unsuccessful attempts at coaxing the information out of them, one of the nurses had finally cracked and told him that he would be free to go just that afternoon. All he had to do was wait it out, the only problem was that Jaune had never been particularly good at waiting games.

The wounded knight sighed and adjusted his angle of recline on his bed, groaning as his bruised and battered body ached and moaned in protest. The bruises had gone down somewhat since his bout with Cardin the previous day but would most likely mark him for at least a full week. He was simply grateful to be able to open both of his eyes again, the swelling around his left one had gone down but he still had an absolute shiner of a black-eye as a memento.

Jaune closed his eyes and let his mind wander of the events of the past few days, his lucky escape after launch during initiation, his second lucky escape as Pyrrha stepped in and saved him from the Kraiken, going on to kill the aquatic Grimm, meeting the others, the Nevermore. The list went on and on growing ever longer. So much had happened to him in such a short space of time that it almost seemed that life was running away with him.

He couldn't complain of course, in coming to Beacon he had made more friends than he had ever had back at home. His sisters had made sure to see off any girls that might have sought to befriend him let alone develop any form of romantic relationship with him. That coupled with the fact that most of the boys in the village used him as a means of trying to get close to any one of his six older sisters, had resulted in a rather lonely childhood for the blonde.

But that had all changed the moment he got onto that airship to Vale. That moment had undoubtedly changed the course of his life irreparably. It had led to him meeting Yang and Ruby, becoming the leader of his own team and being partnered up with _the_ 'Pumpkin Pete's' mascot. Not too shabby given that he had achieved it all in just three days.

Then again it wasn't all sunshine and roses, in the process he had been beaten half to death and thrown around a sparring arena like a rag doll, showing everyone gathered just how incapable he really was in terms of combat. Weiss had taken an extreme disliking to his position of authority and had done all but declare a blood feud with him. Like it or not, if their team was going to do well, he would have to win the heiress over. Maybe Ruby would have some idea as to how he might go about doing that.

His teammates came to visit him later that day after their final class for the day ended. Ruby bolted in at lightning speed to take one of the chairs by his bed, rose petals hanging in the air in her wake. Pyrrha followed shortly after, her demeanour as calm as ever as she too took a seat in one of the room's chairs.

Weiss was the last to enter, her frosty atmosphere sending a chill through the room. Her icy blue eyes locked onto the bed ridden knight and for an instant he could've sworn that he saw the slightest hint of empathy within them, but it was gone long before he could confirm it. She took a seat on the second bed within the room.

"How are you feeling today Jaune?" Pyrrha asked with a smile.

"A lot better now you're all here. It's not everyday that a guy like me gets a visit from three absolute beauties." He grinned in response. Both Ruby and Pyrrha giggled, their cheeks turning pink while Weiss simply rolled her eyes and sighed, clearly not impressed.

"How long are they keeping you in here Arc?" She asked frostily.

"They say that I should be good to go this afternoon. Just waiting on them to come and sign me out I guess." He shrugged, eyes flicking to the door. He almost hoped that one of the nurses might walk in at that moment to prove his point.

"You must be super excited huh?" Ruby chirped enthusiastically, tugging at his elbow.

"Y-yeah, to be honest It'll be nice to get some proper food. This hospital stuff isn't bad I mean, it could be a lot worse. It's just that it isn't exactly... nice either."

"Oh I know! We can go into Vale to celebrate you getting better!" She practically squealed in her excitement, leaping to her feet and knocking over her chair.

"I'd like that Ruby." He smiled, absolutely adoring her at that very moment. Going out to Vale would give him a chance to get to know his team and even convince Weiss that maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"Then it's settled. It would be a good chance for us to bond as a team." Pyrrha said with a smile giving his hand a gentle shake. "Now, I'm going to try and find a nurse to discharge you so we can get going." She explained as she made her way to the door.

Jaune watched her go with a smile and settled in to wait. It couldn't be long now. He could practically feel the sun on his face, the breeze through his hair and the fresh air in his lungs. It was strange to him how after only a couple of days couped up inside without these things in a stale infirmary room, that he had come to appreciate them so much more.

_'I swear I'm never going to take fresh air and sunshine for granted ever again' _He promised himself.

* * *

Jaune and his team sat in their own little booth, cut off from the rest of the airship's passengers. Conversation flowed freely between the three girls but for the most part, Jaune stayed out of it. His stomach was playing up with his motion-sickness again. His face was a tinge of putrid green and it took all of his concentration to help keep his mind off of the waves of nausea flowing over him.

For him it made little sense, none of his sisters suffered from motion-sickness, neither did his parents. He was the black sheep in that regard, and it was a curse that had caused him a great deal of difficulty in the past. It wasn't just planes either, any vehicle seemed to be able to stir it up within him.

Looking out the window, he watched as the ship flew over Vale, the vast and intricate web of buildings and roads passing by seamlessly below them. It was always a wonder for him to see the capital of the kingdom. A wealthy port city and the centre of trade in vale, although the means of import have changed a great deal, the city remained the same.

Jaune bolted off of the craft, the moment that it had set down in Vale's airship station. He stood breathing great lungfuls of the fresh air, thoroughly glad to be back on firm ground. The knight waited briefly until his teammates managed to catch up to him before the four of them all made their way into the city centre.

"So where is it that we're going?" Jaune asked the three girls around him. They had organised the whole thing without him, leaving him well and truly in the dark.

"You'll have to wait and see!" Ruby chirped giving him a playful punch on the arm. Jaune wasn't best pleased by her response but if living with his sisters had taught him anything, it was that you can't beat girls at their own games. He would have to wait and see.

With a resigned sigh the blonde turned his attentions to their surroundings, taking in all he could of the city's sights from the architecture to the atmosphere itself. It had been a great many years since he had last been in the city and it was just as he remembered it, the sights and smells were much the same.

The city of Vale was so alive, people from all walks of life bustling about, completely absorbed in their own daily lives. Mothers walked around with their children, office workers in the rush of their lives. The city was simply a hive of activity.

Great buildings and grand plazas stretched out one after the other, all interconnected by roads and bicycle lanes. Huge stone arches marking the entrances to ornate buildings and offices, it was like walking through a city from another time. A time in which Grimm were only a distant thought and grandeur was the order of the day.

The girls led him into Vale's down-town district, past rows and rows of small businesses selling items ranging from books to great swords fully eight feet in length, although how someone might wield those weapons escaped Jaune entirely.

Ruby looked like she was walking on air as she led their little procession, her partner keep pace beside her. This left both Pyrrha and Jaune at the back of the column, both admiring the scenery.

Pyrrha smiled as she looked around, in all her times visiting Vale it never ceased to amaze her just how vast the cultural differences were. She could never quite get used to the grand buildings with their wide arches, they presented a stark contrast to the forums and basilica of her homeland, yet in a way she preferred it. It was less imposing and seemed more free than the imposing columns and grid set planning of Mistral.

Before long Ruby called a halt, stopping them in front of a small pizzeria. The aroma coming from within was pungent, rich with the smells of cheeses, garlic and savoury meats. It was enough to set their mouths watering. Ruby was practically champing at the bit and looking at Weiss with a pleading expression.

"Ruby, I though we were going to the Mistralian restaurant down the road?" The heiress asked with an impatient sigh, seemingly immune to Ruby's puppy-dog eyes.

"But Weiss they have stuffed crust meat lovers!" She begged.

"Ruby, we are meant to be getting Jaune some _decent_ food after his stay in the infirmary."

"Stuffed crust Weiss! You can eat it _backwards!_" Jaune couldn't help but laugh at the little rose's valiant defence, but the heiress wouldn't be moved.

"You know I don't really mind where we go..." He spoke up sheepishly

"Fine! We'll take a vote. The Mistralian place or Ruby's _pizzeria_._" _She spoke with a tone of what seemed to be disgust when referring to Ruby's pizza place.

"Pizza!" Ruby cried fist pumping the sky excitedly.

"Very well, Arc?" Weiss said rolling her eyes.

"I uh... I don't mind." He replied weakly. In truth he didn't mind, both sounded incredible after two days eating the bland cuisine that Beacon provided their sick.

"Typical." She groaned "Well I vote Mistralian, so the deciding vote goes to you Pyrrha. What is your choice?"

The champion looked a little unsettled at having the power of veto given to her. Her eyes shifted nervously between the two opposed members of her team before giving Jaune a pleading look. The blonde simply shrugged apologetically.

"Well..." She spoke hesitantly "It would be nice to get something Mistralian, for a taste of home." Weiss smiled victoriously, Ruby's eyes filled with disappointment. "But, we have all trained really hard to be here so I think a little bit of a treat is deserved. I vote Pizza!" The champion giggled as the heiress' face dropped. Her eye twitched slightly in what looked to be suppressed rage.

With three smiling faces and one thoroughly annoyed heiress the team all made their way through into the restaurant. The atmosphere was a pleasant one, plenty of booths for the diners as well as some small free standing tables. Despite its out of the way location it was nearly full to capacity, the low hum of several conversations at once.

They made their way over to one of the unoccupied booths and took their seats on the red vinyl. Ruby immediately took up the menu and unfolded it, holding it between the three of them excitedly reading a pizza's description once in a while.

"So what shall we get?" She asked, practically bouncing around in her seat.

"H-how about a vegetarian? That's quite healthy right?" Pyrrha suggested, her eyes clearly scanning worriedly over the calorie counter by each title.

"Pyrrha, its cheat day remember? You'll burn it all off in training anyway." Ruby grinned.

"I-I guess you're right..."

"How about we order a massive pizza between us and everyone just eats however much they'd like?" Jaune suggested

"That sounds like a good idea." Pyrrha smiled. "Is that alright with you Weiss?"

The heiress herself was sat a little away from the others, her arms crossed with the queen of all pouts on her face. It was clear that the high and mighty heiress wasn't best pleased to be in such an establishments. After a lifetime of living on pauzu tuna caviar and gourmet cuisine from the finest chefs in the world, the humble pizza must have seemed like the lowest of the low.

"I don't mind nor do I care. Order what you like, I'll just have a salad." She said with a sigh.

"Weiss we cant just gorge ourselves whilst you eat a salad. Enjoy a pizza with us, we're a team now..." Jaune's attempt to convince her was weak at best but what he said was true. It wouldn't be right for them to abandon her to a meal of leaves while they ate like kings in comparison.

"Arc I will not put this trash into my body. You may all do as you like but I will not eat it." She remained resolute.

"Please Weiss, you don't have to eat much. Just a slice?" Ruby pleaded. Weiss only glared in return, though it was softer than usual and lacking its usual malice.

"Fine." She conceded "But only one slice."

* * *

A couple of hours later, they all re-emerged onto Vale's streets substantially full of pizza. Weiss had eaten by far the most despite her insistence in having only one slice, she had actually polished off a full six. Jaune had battled his way through alongside Ruby to meet four each while Pyrrha had only managed two.

The bustling streets of Vale had died down significantly since they had entered the little pizzeria. Dusk had passed leaving the city in twilight, the bright street lamps the only source of illumination in what would have otherwise been an incredibly dark world. Their lights casting a pale luminescence all around them and creating havens from the pitch black night around. Last bastions of hope in the gloom.

Team Jasper navigated their way through this world, oblivious to all around them and wrapped up in their own conversations. Even Weiss, the Ice Queen herself, seemed to be in high spirits. It filled Jaune with hope that maybe with enough time they could break past her frosty exterior and through to the real Weiss underneath. The Weiss before them now, light-hearted and quick witted.

They navigated their way through the eerily quiet streets and over to the airship station again. With every step Jaune's trepidation grew. Flying for him was never a pleasant affair with his motion-sickness, but things got a whole lot worse when he flew on a full stomach. He steeled his nerves, determined to keep his dinner down. All of the molten cheese burns in his mouth would have been for nothing if he couldn't hold it in long enough for them to return to Beacon.

Fortunately for the four teenagers, there was one last scheduled flight to Beacon that evening. They showed their Beacon identification and walked through the terminal to board their aircraft. Jaune took the aisle seat, his mind working overtime to identify the various exits and trash cans as their aircraft lifted off.

The moment Jaune felt them take to the air his stomach growled and began to churn until he had a raging tempest within. Relief came in the form of the red-haired champion. She slowly ran circles across his back with her hand, soothing his stomach and granting him a vague semblance of control. This did not however, prevent his face from turning the darkest shade of green.

The flight was relatively short and painless with little more than a couple of dry-heaves from the knight. As per the usual, he was the first off of the craft feeling relief as his feet met with the solid and unwavering earth. Pyrrha and Ruby both felt some relief at his face having returned to the usual pale colour of his complexion.

JSPR walked slowly across the campus and back towards the dorms, save for a couple of night owls out for a stroll, they didn't encounter another living thing. It was utterly quiet, the sound of their footsteps the only thing ringing out in the silence. Reaching to dorms, Weiss swiped her scroll past the lock. It clicked and she pushed it open to reveal their dorm room. Making their way in, each of the four teenagers broke off to initiate their respective nightly routines before settling into their beds. Jaune collapsed onto the soft mattress with a low moan of comfort. It beat the infirmary beds by far.

With a relaxed smile the blonde closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander and his dreams to take over. His breathing became deeper and far slower as he drifted off to sleep, dreams of mighty heroes vanquishing the hatred filled creatures of Grimm filled his head as the night wore on. The shattered moon completed its run across the sky and sank below the horizon, trading places with the sun once more.

* * *

Classes passed quickly for Jaune the next day, time racing by until he was free once again. Even Port's lecture proved to be more entertaining that usual, Yang was called up to fight a raging Boarbatusk at the front. The knight had questioned whether or not that was strictly allowed, but seeing as how they were all enrolled in a school for hunters and huntresses it most likely was.

Once the class was over team JSPR made their way through to the dorm rooms and changed out of their uniforms into their more relaxed clothing, that is if you could call armour 'relaxed'. Once feeling a little more comfortable and after Weiss had spent a full ten minutes hanging and storing her uniform in a suit protector, they rendezvoused with team BRNY and headed off to the library to hit the books. It had once again been the heiress' idea that they all work together on their assignments and get them done as quickly as possible.

The library was the largest Jaune had ever seen in his life. Row upon row of oak wood shelves all bulging to breaking point with hundreds of thousands of tomes, manuals and text books. Perhaps the entirety of Vytal's written knowledge was stacked up in front of them. An impressive sight to see, that much was for certain.

The two teams occupied one of the old and worn tables, their various books and the mountains of paper occupying the whole tabletop without a millimetre to spare. To Jaune's immense surprise it was Weiss who occupied the seat beside him, seemingly rushing to beat both Pyrrha and Ruby to it. It confused him why she would go out of her way to do so, but he couldn't complain.

Jaune and his friends worked solidly for well over an hour, the afternoon winding on until one by one they all lost the motivation they had started with. They each found numerous ways to distract themselves from the task at hand. All of them save for both Jaune and Weiss.

The blonde leader worked on, ignoring the burning desire to call it quits and join the others in their shenanigans. Ozpin's words still resonated within him, driving him to do the absolute best that he possibly could. The occasional word of advice from Weiss acted as a fantastic motivator, it was never obvious and she never directly told him what to do. Rather she would pose it in the form of a question and press him into working it out for himself, pushing him towards self improvement.

When at last he had completed the assignment for Oobleck he set down his pen in triumph. His wrist had locked up, his arm ached and was covered in ink but he had done it, a seven thousand word essay on General Lagoon's forces at the battle of fort castle. He might have had a little bit of help along the way, but predominantly it was his work and he was proud of it. He settled more comfortably into his seat and allowed himself to relax.

A curious Weiss seized his papers and looked it over with a critical eye, a subtle smile of satisfaction on her face, little more than the curling up of the corners of her mouth, but it was there. It wasn't the most eloquent nor best articulated piece of work but it was good, he had even made a few points on the General's tactical decisions that she hadn't even considered. Setting it down back in front of him, she returned to her own work to add the finishing touches before she too set down her pen.

Team BRNY were the first ones to leave, heading off for the training facility to get in some sparring practice before their next class with Goodwitch. Ruby excused herself and followed after them, excited at the opportunity to get in some practice with her beloved scythe, the Crescent Rose.

Jaune stood up and walked over to the historical section of the library before returning with an aged leather bound book about six inches thick. The ancient tome had clearly seen better days, the leather cover was battered and scuffed. Along the spine, written in gold lettering was written the title; _'The Arc family, their history and deeds.' _Embossed proudly across the front, in stark contrast the its tattered surroundings was Jaune's family crest. Two crescent arcs, in bright gold to match the title. Weiss looked at him inquisitively to which he shrugged.

"My dad said they had a book here about the family, thought I might check it out."

"It would make sense, copies of the histories for most of the old families can be found here, my own included." Weiss explained.

He opened the archaic book and blew away the dust which had accumulated after what must have been years without being touched. On the very first page was listed the name of his five-times great-grandfather Charlemagne I. The founder of the Arc family and one of the greatest huntsmen of the first age. On the page was an portrait of the man in question, fantastically drawn. The colours had faded and lost their intensity yet the overall effect hadn't diminished.

He was tall and proud looking with locks of bright blonde hair hanging over his eyes. Adorned in bright white plate armour similar to that which Jaune wore himself and with Crocea Mors in hand he cut an imposing image. His facial expression was stern yet there was a certain sparkle that the artist had captured in his eyes. A small attribution was written underneath.

_'Charlemagne Arc, the first of his name. Huntsman of the first men. Famed for his heroic actions in the defence of Vale in the first days in which he slew the rampaging Ursa to save the lives of many innocents.'_

Jaune paused for a moment, pondering the meaning of the words before him. He had known from the stories his father would tell that he was descended from a proud line of huntsmen and huntresses, they were the reason that he had wanted to become one, yet to see the deeds of his ancestors laid bare before him was a surreal experience indeed. He flicked through the various pages, occasionally lingering on a certain name that he had been told stories of.

Each and every name had a story behind it, some with more impressive tales than others but every single one of them a story of heroism and bravery in the face of adversity. It made Jaune proud to know that their blood flowed through his veins, yet also filled him with pangs of shame. What would they say if they could see him now? Sat there almost as battered and bruised as the book in his hands. He couldn't so much as hold a candle to them.

His emotional turmoil must have shown on his face because Pyrrha's hand found itself resting on his own. He started slightly at the contact and almost withdrew from it entirely, yet something stayed his hand.

"What's wrong Jaune?" She asked, her voice soft and kind.

"I-It's just reading all the heroic things that my ancestors did in the past kinda makes me feel like I'm a little bit of a let down. They were the reason that I wanted to become a huntsman in the first place."

"Jaune, I'm sure they wouldn't see you as a let down, you're only just starting on the path of a huntsman. You have another four years at Beacon before you even start your duties. That's plenty of time to improve and work at becoming the very best that you can be."

"How am I supposed to do that when I can barely hold my own in a fight. I got through initiation because of a stupid amount of luck. I would have died on landing if it hadn't been for that lake, they I was nearly eaten! If you hadn't have shown up I would have ended up as fish food."

"But you didn't Jaune."

"By luck more than judgement!"

The cogs in Pyrrha's mind whirred for a few moments as she concocted a solution to his predicament, Jaune looked on feeling a little awkward at the sudden stop in their conversation. He was about to question her on it when quite suddenly she seized his hand and dragged him away from the table and towards the door, leaving Weiss behind to put all of their books back.

"Pyrrha! Come back here and help me tidy up!" She called after the redhead, ignoring the angry looks from the librarian.

"I'm sorry!" Came the reply. Weiss huffed and stacked the various books, carrying them off to return them. She was frustrated, yet her frustration was completely overshadowed by her pride. Her first attempt at helping Arc seemed to be going well, indeed none of the others seemed to be any the wiser, even Arc himself was oblivious. That was the plan, subtle intervention. She couldn't help but wonder however, what idea Pyrrha had that had caused her to drag him out so suddenly...

* * *

"Training?" Jaune asked in utter surprise, still a little unsure that he had heard her correctly.

"Yes. You said that you weren't happy with your combat proficiency so we can train to make it better." She explained with a smile.

"But why did you bring me up to the roof?"

"Nobody ever comes up here, we can train for as long as we like without interruption."

Jaune was silent for a good while as he considered her offer, he knew his combat abilities were in dire need of improvement if he didn't want to end up in the infirmary after every one of Goodwitch's lessons. On top of that, Pyrrha _was_ the Mistral champion and had been for four years running, if anyone would be able to whip him into shape in a relatively short time it would be her, plus she was his partner so it presented a good opportunity to strengthen the bond that they shared.

"O-OK, I'll do it." He nodded, a determined look in his eyes despite the nerves on his face. The champion looked positively delighted by his response as she leapt forward and flung her arms around him in a tight hug. Once the shock of the sudden contact had worn off and she had loosened her grip slightly to allow him to breathe, he slowly wrapped his arms around her as a blush crept across his face.

"This is going to be so much fun!" She chirped happily. Her bright smile was only matched by the sparkle in her emerald eyes. She seemed truly over the moon that he had agreed, perhaps because it was an opportunity for her to introduce him to the world that she had grown up in.

"So uh? When do we start?" He asked nervously.

"Now!" She said as she gave him a firm push to the chest, he over balanced and fell to the hard stone of the rooftop.

"Ow~ What was that for?" He whined looking up at her.

"Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider, and lower to the ground. Shall we try again?" She answered with a smirk, offering him a hand up. He took it, hauling his bruised self up and off the ground.

It was there, on that rooftop under the dying afternoon sun that Jaune began his training. He knew he would have to work hard to catch up to the others, after all he would have to condense training that would normally take years into only a few weeks. Determination flared in his eyes at the thought. He could do it, no, he _would_ do it.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed that. Leave me a review and let me know what you think, I read them all. Now that the plot is beginning to advance at a steady pace, it shouldn't be too long before I can start to bring in team CRME and their nefarious plans. To tell the truth I am thoroughly excited. Please do follow and favourite if you enjoyed this, I try and keep the updates regular. Thank you all so much once again for reading, reviewing and helping to grow this story. It truly does mean a lot to me to know that you are enjoying my work. Take care all of you and as always I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	6. A Fall into Forever Fall

**Hello everyone, this has been a busy few days for me. Three chapters having been released, that is unheard of! With 'The Sword and Spear' now finished, I can start turning my full attentions towards A Rose for the Champion, and oh boy am I excited for this one. Anyway, here is the next chapter, enjoy.**

* * *

Jaune grunted as he slammed into the cold and unforgiving stone of the rooftop for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, putting fresh tears in his clothes and grazing yet more of his flesh from both his knees and elbows. It had always been the same result to begin with, he and Pyrrha would spar and he would have the seven shades knocked out of him until he was physically too numb to get back up again. Even then the champion wouldn't ease up on him, she would sit the two of them cross legged in the centre of the roof to work on his aura manipulation.

It was a relentless, no-holds-barred kind of training and yet it wasn't for nought. The first change that the blonde had noticed was the alteration and re-profiling of his body. He had been stripped of any baby fat that he had, and slowly shifted and changed into a much more lean and, to his immense joy, muscular form. Unlike when they had first begun and he had regularly been going to bed beaten black and blue, their fights had shifted and become a little more even. He by no means matched her in skill, far from it.

Rather he was able to hold his own for more than a few strikes and even counter attack when the opportunity had presented itself. In stark contrast to his heavy-handed, flailing attempts at combat he had grown and developed. He had a far greater grasp on what was going on around him and his attacks now flowed more smoothly and naturally. He now wasn't the only one going to bed with bruises after their training sessions.

Of his Partner, Jaune couldn't have possibly asked for a better teacher. She was insistent and determined in her efforts, often pausing their sparring matches to adapt and repeat a specific set of movements until her pupil could have performed them upside-down and blindfolded. She proved to be incredibly patient when instructing him, a quality that he was eternally grateful for.

Her gloved hand entered his view and taking it, she hauled him to his feet. She gave him a soft smile and clasped his shoulder with her hand giving it a quick and reassuring squeeze.

"That was very good Jaune, just remember your to move your feet a little more. It doesn't do to stand still on the battlefield."Jaune nodded shy She spoke with an air of confidence, born through years of training sessions just like this one. Merciless and unrelenting, very much a sink or swim environment. Jaune had learned that on day one. He had been forced to hit the ground running as match after match was thrown at him. To say it was a shock to his system would have been a severe understatement.

"Let's go over the forms again." She said as more of a suggestion than anything.

Jaune nodded and adopted his 'en garde' stance with his feet shoulder width apart and his shoulders back with Crocea Mors held out infront in a relaxed grip just like the Champion had taught him to.

"Very good." She stepped up behind him and pressed into him using her own hands and feet to guide his as they swept through the various forms and transitional movements. Jaune blushed and felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as he felt her 'assets' pressed against him. He locked his eyes forwards and fought to focus solidly on the wall ahead of him.

He completed the movements over and over until Pyrrha was seemingly satisfied with his execution, standing back for the final few to observe his technique. With a nod of finality she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder prompting him to stop, he turned and looked at her in confusion.

"I think that will do for tonight Jaune. We can resume tomorrow, for now I think it might be best if we took an early night. You've been working very hard lately and we don't want to be too tired for the field trip tomorrow, come on." She smiled.

"That sounds good." Jaune replied, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Folding away his shield, he sheathed his sword and walked at her side as they left the rooftop. They enjoyed pleasant small talk on their way back to the JSPR dorm, talk of things other than training and weaponry for once, making for an enjoyable break from the usual tempo of their talks and giving them a chance to be the teenagers that they were.

Jaune listened intently as Pyrrha told him of a time she found a gyrfalcon with a broken wing back in Mistral and had taken it in nursing it back to health again over a period of many months.

"Her name was Fawkes. It was in the woodlands by my childhood home when I was no more than ten, I was walking as I often did in the summer months when I heard her distressed cries. By the time I found her she was so very weak, the carrion birds were beginning to circle and I believe that she had given up on hope. I rushed her home to my father with tears in my eyes. He took one look at her and told me that she was too far gone, that I should take her out into the woods and finish her off. I begged and pleaded with him to save her and together he and I set her wing, dressed it and fed her. Every day I would run home from school to check on Fawkes. I even built her a nest in my room out of a shoe box and some old clothes, nothing made me happier at the time than coming home after school or training than being met by that bird. But eventually her wing grew strong enough for her to fly and we had to let her go. I walked with her in her little shoebox nest out to a small lake and released her. I was so sad to see her go, but watching the sheer grace with which she flew after so long trapped on the ground and seeing the look in her eye when she was finally free after so long, I knew I had done the right thing. All those months of care and tentative love had all been worth it in that single moment. My father asked me when I came home why I had done it, why I had gone to all that effort to save the life of that creature and I told him; No hunter of the skies should end its days as prey. Better they die on the wing than pinned to the ground. That was the day I decided to become a huntress, so that I wouldn't end my life as prey." She finished as they entered the hall containing their dorm. The redhead looked at him with a soft smile and a solitary tear running down her cheek. It had been a long time since she had shared that memory with anyone, and to finally do so had brought forth more emotions than she had anticipated. She was surprised when her partner wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a warm embrace, rubbing her back in a slow and soothing pattern. Her cheeks steadily turning red, she was slow to reciprocate at first, she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Their hug was interrupted by a loud bang and the sound of splintering wood as Nora burst through the door to BRNY's dorm and set off at a break neck sprint down the corridor. Jaune and Pyrrha were forced to separate and throw themselves off to either side as the Valkyrie ran past laughing maniacally. Followed by an enraged Yang, eyes red and hair aflame, her semblance having kicked in.

"Nora you get back here right now!" the brawler bellowed as she gave chase.

Jaune and Pyrrha turned back round to look at the door of BRNY's dorm room. Ren and Blake were both stood with wide eyes gawking down the hallway after their partners. Walking over to them Jaune was the first to speak, snapping them out of their stupor.

"Uh... Why did Yang just run after Nora with murderous intent written all over her face?" He asked with a nervous laugh. Ren was the one to explain, he sighed and shook his head woefully.

"I made pancakes and Nora splashed a little bit of syrup on Yang's hair... She thought Yang's reaction was funny and before I could stop her she had dumped half a jar on her..."

"Huh... so you pushed the hair button... you shouldn'ta did that..." The blonde said with a smirk. "In all seriousness though, don't you think you should go after them before Yang rips apart half the school?"

Ren and Blake both looked at each other and rolled their eyes setting off at a dead sprint in the direction that their partners had taken off. Once they were gone Jaune looked at his partner, and she at him. They were silent for a moment before breaking into side splitting laughter, falling to the floor in their mirth.

Weiss opened the door to JSPR's dorm behind them and stepped out with her hands balled into fists and rested on her hips. She had her hair up in her usual ponytail but was wearing an apron with the slogan _'This chef does it with spice!'_ emblazoned across the front and had a spatula in hand. All she needed was a set of glasses and she could have resembled a culinary Goodwitch.

"Just what is going on out here?!" The diminutive heiress demanded.

Both the knight and the champion stopped for a moment and looked up at the heiress, tears of laughter still rolling down their cheeks. They took one look at her and broke down laughing again. Their lungs burned and begged for air, their sides ached and it hurt to smile any longer when they finally brought their laughter back under control. They felt bad for laughing at her, it was simply that the image was so bizarre.

"Are you quite finished?" She asked with a bright blush.

"Y-yes... Sorry Weiss..." Pyrrha said with a suppressed giggle.

"What's with the outfit Snow Angel?" Jaune asked with a smirk, using her most hated nickname.

"Well if you _must_ know, I was making us all dinner for when you got back from training. I thought that we might all need some decent food before our trip tomorrow." She explained, still sounding a little flustered.

"That sounds _lovely_ Weiss, thank you." Pyrrha said with a smile stepping past her and into the dorm room making for the shower.

"Finally some appreciation!" She cried turning around and heading into their dorm room's small kitchenette. It wasn't a big room, but it was fitted with everything that they could have possibly needed. There was a small fridge, cooker and work surface. Set on the wall were a group of three cupboards, all ready-stocked with pans and plates. They had been eternally thankful to find the kitchen fully kitted out on arrival, saving them having to shop for pans, plates and cutlery.

Jaune stepped over to his bed, undoing the leather straps that held his armour in place and dropping the white metal plates to the floor with a clang. He groaned and stripped out of his down to his boxers. He grabbed some fresh clothes and headed for the dorm's bathroom.

Team JSPR's en-suite was a modest affair, nothing too fancy but, like the kitchenette, it catered to their needs. The walls were covered with white tiles while the floor was made up of slabs of slate, every hue of the rainbow. Set along one wall was a single long surface, above which hung a large mirror. Across from it was their shower-bath, into which the knight stepped.

He switched the water on and almost leapt back out with a yelp, it was freezing cold. After a few seconds the water reached temperature. He stepped back under the torrent and allowed the warm water to flow over his bruised and weary body. He could feel his various muscles beginning to relax and the knots begin to work themselves out.

* * *

JSPR had just finished with the bathroom when Weiss finished plating up. Ruby had returned from a small excursion into the emerald forest, her clothes covered in fresh blood from a multitude of Grimm. Jaune winced at her stories and felt what he was sure was pity well up within him for any of the beasts that were unfortunate to cross paths with the little Rose. She was quite literally 'the Grimm Reaper.'

Weiss handed them each a plate before settling down on her bed with hers on her lap. She looked around the room at each of her teammates with something like hesitant expectancy. Jaune looked at the food she had given him and to her credit, it looked good. It wasn't anything too complicated but it was wholesome. Mashed potatoes, carrots and swede with some sausages all covered in onion gravy.

Jaune shrugged and took his first bite. He was pleasantly surprised, the potatoes were creamy and the sausages perfectly done with a crispy skin and moist. He looked at the Schnee with a surprised expression.

"Weiss, this is incredible." He said with a mouthful. "Where did you learn to cook like this?" Weiss seemed to bloom with pride at his compliment.

"I grew up in the family mansion in Atlas. Being surrounded by such wealth meant that we could afford for the finest chefs world wide to cook for us. One day, I went to the kitchen's and asked for a recipe. The chef was only too happy to show me how he made these recipes. It soon became a regular thing, I would go into the kitchens before dinner and he would take me through his processes step by step. After a while I would cook alongside him cooking my own meals. He was my best friend at the time, but one day my father found out and flew into a rage. He kept going on about how I was a Schnee and shouldn't be seen to be performing such menial tasks. He fired the chef and I never saw him after, though a couple of months later a parcel arrived for me. When I opened it, it turned out to be a ragged old leather bound book in which he had hand written every recipe he knew. I kept it hidden from my father until I left for Beacon, I brought it with me and even to this day, It is my most prized of possessions." She explained. She looked saddened at the memory.

"Well he must have been amazing if he taught you to make things like this!" Ruby said with a grin before she resumed shovelling mounds of mashed potato into her mouth. Weiss chuckled and began to eat her own, albeit a little more ceremoniously than the others.

Not long after, Jaune stood and made his way around the room collecting the plates, when Weiss made an attempt to protest he silenced her with a wave of his hand. She sat back down and gave him a quizzical look.

"What? You cooked it, that means you get to sit back while we wash up. It's only fair." He said with a smile and headed into the kitchen. Setting the plates on the side he ran a bowl of hot soapy water. As he did, Ruby jumped to her feet and skipped out to help him.

"I'll help! You wash I'll break." She giggled and grabbed the tea towel from its place over the oven door handle.

With the two of them working together, Jaune cleaning the plates and Ruby using her semblance to dry and put them away, it didn't take long before they had finished the task. Heading back into the main room they found Pyrrha sat polishing her shield and Weiss curled up in her bed with a thick book in hand.

The knight staggered over to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. His fatigue finally catching up to him, he shuffled on dead feet over to his bed and collapsed on it. He allowed his body to bounce for a moment before worming his way up to the pillow and settling in for the night. Afterall they were due to head out to Forever Fall forest the next day and he had a feeling he would need all the rest that he could get. Closing his eyes he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The engines on their bullhead aircraft shrieked out as they burned sky and propelled them forwards. Blue azure sky passed by the small porthole windows as they flew, providing restrictive view of the ground below.

For Jaune at that moment, the ground couldn't have possibly been close enough. They had only been flying for half an hour yet for him, curled up in the fetal position on the floor of their craft clutching at a small brown paper sick bag, it had felt like an eternity and couldn't possibly have ended soon enough.

The pitch of the engines changed and a slowing of their momentum could be felt as the aircraft settled into a hover as it might when going in for a landing.. This couldn't be right, the drop zone was still another half hour away by aircraft. Slowly the rear ramp on their craft crept open revealing the red canopy far below.

From a projection plate in the floor of the aircraft a hologram of Ozpin was played. He was stood back at Beacon in front of the great statue in the courtyard. On his face was set the same old knowing smirk that he always had. Holo-Ozpin took a drink of his coffee and cleared hie throat.

"Students, by now you have undoubtedly realised that something is up, and you are correct. You have been issued the task of retrieving a jar of sap from the trees in forever fall forest this is indeed still the case. As you may have noticed, the aircraft that you are all currently onboard have stopped prematurely. You will be disembarking a...little earlier than you perhaps intended. You shall be air dropped into the forest below you. Once you land, each team shall continue on with your pre-explained task; gather one jar of tree sap per student, the only difference is that this is now a survival exercise. Once these have been gathered you are to travel the remaining one hundred miles north where you will be picked up in two days and your jars counted. Details for your evacuation will be sent to your scrolls. You shall be graded according to your performance and how well you work within your teams. As always, the very best of luck."

The hologram cut out as he finished his speech. The students looked to one another with a groan. Was he serious? They actually had to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft? It was madness. Jaune crept over to the loading ramp and looked out. Far below, some several thousand feet down was the forest canopy. No lakes to be seen to save him this time.

Once again the pitch of the engines change and the whole cabin began to tilt, slowly angling its way into the vertical so that the open hatch was directly below for them to fall through. Around him the students ran and buckled themselves into their seats to prevent their ejection from the aircraft.

Jaune's eyes darted around for an empty seat that he might buckle himself into even as the aircraft passed the fourty-five degree tilt. He caught sight of one to Weiss' side and threw himself at it, his arms stretched out in a desperate attempt to save himself from what he was sure would be certain death by falling.

His attempts were futile however, as the floor dropped away from below him and he had to fight against gravity. He hung in the air, a few scant inches from the harness he had been aiming for with his arm still outstretched. Looking around at his teammates with blinked at the members of his team hanging in their seats around him with something akin to helplessness as he began to fall. He passed straight through the open ramp screaming bloody murder.

"So will you be saving him again or shall I?" Weiss asked her teammates and rolled her eyes. The heiress drew Myrtenaster and unbuckled her seat restraints. With a sigh she slid off of her seat and out the open door followed in short order by both team BRNY and the rest of her own team.

* * *

The air roared as it whistled past the heiress' face and made her eyes smart yet it was the least of her problems. Narrowing her eyes she searched below her for any sign of her falling leader, any sign as to his presence.

After a few tense moments of frantically looking, she found him. He appeared as little more than a speck below her, the closer she looked she found him flailing wildly as he somersaulted end over end is what she guessed to be a desperate attempt to right himself.

Holding Myrtenaster out above her head to increase her aerodynamics she settled into a vertical dive. The wind whistled past her as she flew past terminal velocity towards her falling leader. As she drew close she could hear his scream above the wind, high pitched and effeminate. As she closed the gap she threw her arms and leg out to either side, straining her shoulders as air resistance kicked in and slowed her down rapidly.

With as much haste as she could manage she tilted her body to manoeuvre herself to be directly above him. Once in place she tucked her limbs in again to speed her descent and dive straight for him. She held off for a few seconds for the opportune moment before completing the dived and locking her free arm around his waist.

With a flick of Myrtenaster, a string of glyphs appeared below between them and the rapidly approaching forest canopy. As they passed through each subsequent one their speed diminished rapidly. Finally, once their speed was sufficiently low she summoned another glyph of a different design, tilted on an angle. Her feet met with it and she kicked off towards another ready and waiting. Holding tightly onto her hapless leader the heiress skipped from glyph to glyph bringing both herself and a thoroughly astonished leader through the forest canopy and safely down to the ground.

They reached the forest floor safely and in one piece. Releasing her grip on the blonde, Weiss collapsed to her knees panting heavily with her chest heaving. The exertion both during free fall and in her efforts to slow two grown people down from near terminal velocity had placed a great deal more exertion on her that might have been expected.

A hand grasped her shoulder softly. Looking up she was met with the soft cerulean blue eyes of Jaune. He gave her a nervous smile and scratched the back of his head with his free hand,just as he always did when feeling bashful. In a way, the heiress couldn't help but find it a little endearing and calming, especially after the near death experience they had just shared.

"Thanks Weiss, You uh... You just saved my life, I thought I was a goner..." He said.

"That's...Alright Jaune... Its what... teammates do..." She managed to say in between breaths.

"Well, we made it... Guess we just have to wait for the others." He shrugged, motioning up to the sky. He shivered when he saw the tiny black speck of their aircraft countless thousands of feet above them. Weiss nodded and fought to bring her breathing back under control and to a steady level.

As it turned out, they didn't have long to wait before the next waves of students. Pyrrha was the first to join them, crashing through the branches overhead and dropping into a combat roll on one of the gnarled outcroppings close to the trunk. With a satisfied 'hmph' she caught sight of her team and dropped down to walk over to them.

"Remind me to work on developing your landing strategy." She giggled placing a finger on the very centre of his chest. The knight gulped nervously.

Ruby was the last to drop in, her arrival signified by a series of earth shattering gunshots as she used the recoil to rapidly slow her descent. At the last possible moment she threw the head of her over-sized scythe out in a wide arc and hooked it onto a low lying branch. She pan a couple of loops around it as her momentum dissipated. Once slow enough she unhooked and landed solidly on her feet by the others.

"Well, we all made it." Weiss said with a slight smile, clearly glad to have that over with.

"Well since its quiet, we should spread out and gather the sap. Stick in twos for safety, we don't know what's out the-"

He was cut short by a blood-chilling howl as several pairs of burning red eyes lit up in the darkness around them. Team JSPR drew into a tight circle, drawing their weapons and preparing themselves for battle.

A whole pack of Beowolves emerged from the trees around them and formed a solid ring of black fur and gnashing teeth around them some two deep. It was clear that they weren't just here to make friendly with them. Behind them was the great hulking figure of the pack alpha-male. A huge creature that must have been over ten feet tall with spikes the size of Jaune's whole arm protruding from its foreleg. The bone plate across its face had been rent in two leaving a wide scar underneath that extended the full length of its snout.

Jaune raised up his shield and settled into his 'ready stance' with practised ease after hours of Pyrrha's training. Crocea Mors' blade gleamed with a ruddy light as the sun shone through the red leaves above. He steadied his breathing and concentrated on the moment rather than his fears of what might be about to happen.

Thusly, when the first of them charged he was ready for it. He waited for his moment and brought Crocea Mors down in a sweeping arc, cleaving its skull in two and sending a fresh spray of gore into the air and staining the grass underfoot.

Before he could take the time to appreciate his kill, another was on him. The blonde ducked under a back handed stroke as one of the beasts sought to drive it's arm spikes through his head and neck. With a cold smile playing about his lips he span around and hacked the arm clean off with a blow just above the elbow, the monster gave a ear-piercing howl of pain before he drove his blade through its throat and silenced it permanently. He drew his sword out with a squelch sending droplets of blood flying and spattering across his face.

Taking a brief moment to look around the knight surveyed his teammates situations. All had turned to anarchy once the attack had begun, the circle they had been enclosed in was filled with the rapidly decaying corpses of the Grimm as well as those that had yet to fall. His team had been scattered to the four winds in the mayhem.

Ruby was over to one side, surrounded by a press of Grimm, though it was no problem for her. She danced around them with an expression of child-like joy, halving four of them with each subsequent swing of her gargantuan scythe, leaving mounds of fresh bodies all around her feet.

Weiss' combat style seemed a little more calculated than the reckless nature of her partner. She worked with a precision which was both impressive and frightening to watch, switching between the various dust canisters on her rapier without so much as a glance, working on memory alone. Dodging out of the way of a swiping paw she darted forward and hit the beast with a shot of fire, incinerating it in an instant and leaving nothing but ashes behind.

Finally he turned his attention to his own partner, she was hewing her foes to ribbons with a grace and fluidity that was terrifying to see. Every stroke of her weapon sounding the death-knell for another of the beasts. Her weapon itself seemed to constantly shift within the flow of battle, switching between its three forms whenever another would prove to be of a more advantageous nature.

Before he could watch on, a harsh roar erupted from beside him. A huge paw flew through the air and smote him in the side, launching him off and to the ground. He grunted on impact and scrambled back to his feet raising his shield. Peeking over the rim he just had time to throw himself out of the path of the rampaging alpha. The great wolf sprinted at him swiping at anything that go in its way, friend or foe.

He leapt into a roll and back to his feet, taking the time to drive his sword through the back of an unaware Grimm. Turning back around he watched with fear as the Alpha bore down on him again. It threw its arm at him from above in a wide arc. The knight ducked under his shield, his legs nearly buckling under the sheer force of the impact.

Underneath his shield he grunted and pushed back against the Alpha as it hammered relentlessly on his shield, the loud clangs triggering a ringing in his ears. Looking forward he saw the creatures exposed legs and with it, his opening.

Tightening the grip on his shield he drew his arm back and darted forward deflecting the monsters attack and setting it off balance. Before it had the chance to react Jaune had swung his sword in a mighty swing and hewed its leg off at the mid thigh. He felt the various tendons fray and snap as the razor sharp blade drove its way straight on through, thick black blood pouring from its open wound.

The creature reared up, screaming in pain and collapsed flailing violently, the loss of its leg ruining its balance. Jaune hesitated for a moment before leaping to drive Crocea Mors' point straight through its black heart.

With a sweep of its paw it caught him in mid air and sent him flying. He lost grip on his weapon on impact with the ground, sending it sailing out of his hand and embedding it in one of the nearby creatures, the Alpha in between him and it. Jaune groaned in pain, thanking his lucky stars for aura as he felt it kick in and begin to heal the bruises.

Left unarmed and with a flailing Alpha in front of him, he cast his eyes about for any kind of weapon. They landed on the severed leg of the Alpha, lying in a pool of blood. Protruding from just above the ankle joint were two long bone spikes, it wasn't pretty but it would do.

He ran forward, and grabbed it by the fur lifting it, soaking his clothes and besmirching his armour with the blood. He was surprised by the sheer weight of it. He hefted his grisly new weapon an charged at the beast. It looked at him with what looked to be horror as he gave a powerful swing driving the bone spines straight through its chest with a sickening crunch. There was a blood-curdling howl from the beast before the rage and hatred faded from its eyes and it lay still, dead.

All around him the remaining creatures turned to face their dead leader, pausing in their combat. With a collective howl they withdrew, some still falling to the attacks of the three huntresses as they retreated back into the woods, their tails between their legs.

"Well... that was fun..." Weiss sighed sarcastically as she made her way over to him. Followed closely by Ruby and Pyrrha. Together the three of them surveyed the decaying corpse of the alpha, its snout still twitching slightly.

"Did... did you just kill an Alpha Grimm with its own leg?" Ruby asked wide eyed in surprise.

"I-uh... yeah... I did." Jaune replied, just as surprised as the gravity of what he had done actually hit him.

"Where's your sword?" Pyrrha asked with a look of confusion. Jaune explained what had happened as he made his way over to where is sword lay, the corpse of the Grimm having vanished leaving nought but his sword and a sizeable blood stain in its place. He picked the blade up and wiped it clean on his jeans before sheathing it once again in his shield.

"For all our sakes, I think we had best hold off on the sap collection until we are in a more defensible location." the champion suggested when he returned. Jaune nodded and checked the GPS on his scroll, if they had a full hundred miles to cover by the next evening they would need to set off as soon as possible.

"We should get going or we'll never make it tomorrow." He sighed looking round at his team, the three girls nodded collectively and together they set off Northward. Their survival exercise had begun.

* * *

**And there it was, I hope you like it. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Like I said I am super excited to really be able to knuckle down on this one and get to working. We see Jaune a little way into his training here so he's a little bit more competent in terms of his abilities. Next time we'll see them survive the nights together. I might introduce team BRNY in this arc and develop on their characters. Let me know what you think. As always, don't forget to favourite and follow if you enjoyed this, next update should be in about a weeks time.**

**Thanks for reading and I'll see you all, in the next chapter.**


	7. Meetings by Moonlight

**Hello everyone, I hope you are all keeping well. In all honesty, being able to just settle and work on this without having to worry about producing content for any other fics has been such a relief I cant begin to explain it. I'm having a lot more fun doing it which is brilliant because if I'm enjoying writing it then I tend to produce better chapters which means that you, my readers, get the very best that I have to offer. But that's quite enough of me rambling, you guys want the next chapter, and here it is! I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Forever Fall, the forest of eternal autumn. For many it was seen to be a romantic image where one might take their love to walk among the falling leaves, surrounded by hues of dusky orange and bright crimson.

For Jaune Arc and his team however, the forest had proven to be nought but stressful. Ever since Ozpin had dropped them in over one hundred miles from their destination as part of a half-baked idea for a survival exercise, they had been constantly paranoid for Grimm incursions, always looking back over their shoulders in fear.

In the five hours since their drop they had covered very little ground, having had to cut their way through legions of Grimm had severely limited their progress. There had been Grimm of every form from Beowolves to Death-stalkers and then some. Every encounter sapping their energy and perhaps more importantly, their aura reserves.

After their long and intense day of hiking through the undergrowth, fighting to maintain their balance as they passed over gnarled roots, the sun had begun to set sending streaks of blazing orange burning across the sky in tones that matched the patchwork of colours forming the forest canopy.

The exhausted team JSPR chose to settle and camp in a small clearing by a little river, its icy waters flowing down from the mountains north of Vale. Such cold water was a small mercy to them, alleviating their thirst. Weiss, Ruby and Pyrrha all removed their boots and stockings, settling on the riverbank to bathe their feet in the cool water. Its cooling sensation providing great relief to their feet after a whole day scrambling around in both heels and combat boots.

There was a sudden and high pitched squeak as Ruby scooped up some water and threw it towards the ice queen, splashing her. The heiress reared back in shock but was too late to avoid it. Retaliation was immediate, and soon they were engaged in a full scale water fight while Pyrrha watched on laughing melodically to herself.

"I'll kill you for this Ruby!" Weiss cried as she sent a tidal wave of water flying at the little rose.

"I didn't think you'd feel it! You _are_ the Ice Queen!" Ruby countered as she responded in kind.

"And what are _you_ laughing at?!" The heiress shrieked sending a splash towards the champion. Before long all three girls were drawn into an all-out water fight with none of them truly playing fairly.

Jaune stood nearby with a small, amused smile and his sword drawn, keeping watch over the three girls splashing and giggling in the stream behind him. He solemnly hoped that the noise of their fight wouldn't attract any unwanted visitors. He was glad that his team were winding down but not if it was likely to compromise all of their safety.

Not long after, all three of his teammates walked away from the stream soaked through to their skins and shivering violently. They looked rather bedraggled in a way that looked so peculiar that Jaune had to stave off a fit of laughter. One cold look from the three of them collectively had the desired effect.

"I'll try and get a fire going, might help you guys warm up and dry off." He said with a smiled and made for the trees at the edge of their clearing, gradually accumulating a collections of twigs and sticks that seemed as though they would made for excellent kindling. He assembled it all into a small pile and lit it. Slowly feeding it with great care he soon had a humble fire going, illuminating a fair sized circle around them in the dying light.

The three girls who were by this point, freezing cold huddled around it in complete and utter reverence like it were the single most precious thing on the earth, holding their hands out in a silent prayer for warmth. Jaune watched on with a smirk, pleased at his work.

"So uh... does anyone know how to fish or something? Cause if we don't tonight is going to be a long and hungry one." He sighed.

To his surprise it was Ruby that stood up, she grabbed one of the burning branches out of the fire. She slowly walked over to the river and crouched down, overlooking the turbulent waters. Holding the flaming branch out over the water with one hand, she poised the other in a manner reminiscent of a viper ready to strike. Jaune took a seat by the fire, the naked blade of his sword rested across his knees and glinting in the firelight as he sat watching the little reaper with curiosity.

She was perfectly still without so much as a twitch throughout her entire body. The only movement was that of her eyes as they scanned the surface below the light of her makeshift torch. Quite suddenly, her expression changed to that of a confident smirk. In a sudden cloud of rose petals and faster than the eye could follow, she drove her hand forward into the icy waters of the river and back out again holding a sizeable fish. She repeated the process three more times until she had a large fish for each of them. She returned to the fireside and proudly presented her catch to the knight before sitting down.

Jaune took the fish and looked at them with a thoroughly confused expression, turning them over in his hands and trying to work out exactly how to go about cooking them. Weiss shot him a look of frustration before she held out her hand with a sigh.

"Hand them over Arc..." Jaune shrugged and handed her the fish. The heiress practically snatched them from his hands and set about preparing them. She selected four relatively straight sticks that looked as though they might support the weight of the fish from the firewood pile and set them aside. Using the very tip of Myrtenaster she gutted and cleaned the fish before skewering them over the fire. She tended to them only occasionally, turning them until the skin was crisp and lightly charred.

The smell of the cooking fish soon filled the air making their mouths water in anticipation. It wasn't long after that Weiss removed them from the fire and gave them a poke as though to determine something that only she knew. Handing them out to her teammates they began to eat feverishly, well, as feverishly as one can eat an fish with all the bones still inside. Silence settled over them as they ate. It was a humble meal, and in Jaune's eyes they could have used a little lemon yet he was smart enough to hold his tongue and avoid potentially upsetting the heiress.

Turning his head slightly he saw that Ruby had charged head-first into her meal, forgetting about the bones in her fish. As a consequence she was having to pick the bones out of her mouth with a series of whining noises reminiscent of those of a dog with a thorn in its paw, much to her chagrin.

Weiss frowned and rolled her eyes at the display, clearly displeased at the lack of manners. Jaune felt for Ruby, knowing from his own experiences just how awkward it can be to eat a fish with all the bones still inside. He remembered all the well the trip he had taken to the hospital when he swallowed a few and they had gotten lodged in his throat. His parents had rushed him to hospital to have them removed but his sisters had never let him live that one down.

"Hey Ruby slow up, you'll find it easier to eat that way." He offered with a smile. She nodded and slowed down a great deal, taking the time to pick out the bones before each mouthful.

"These are really good Weiss." he said with a smile, trying to drum up some conversation. The heiress' only response was to tilt her head in appreciation and return to her meal, grumbling to herself about it needing a 'nice salad dressing'.

Jaune ate his fill and tossed the remaining part of his fish into the fire for it to burn up. His teammates doing the same in short order after him. Jaune looked up to see the shattered moon rise, beside him Ruby stretched out with an almighty yawn rubbing her eyes. With a smile Jaune took up his sword and stood up looking over his team.

"You guys get some sleep, I'll take first watch tonight. Weiss, you think you'll be up to taking the second?" He said in his most authoritative voice. The three girls looked up at him with a hint of what appeared to be surprise.

"Yeah, I should be alright to cover that." She nodded, lying down on the ground and trying to get comfortable. She would, after all, need as much sleep as she could possibly get.

"Ruby, Pyrrha, you two should bed down too. I need you guys well rested for tomorrow, we have a lot of ground to cover." He smiled settling down cross legged a little way away from the fire and leant against a tree. He produced his whetstone and slowly began to strop away at his sword, freshening the edge for the following day. The action had a two effects, the first was that it helped him wind down by giving him something single-minded and repetitive to focus on, and the second was that the sound went through him and would serve to prevent him falling asleep on his watch.

A hand gently clamped itself on his shoulder causing him to start, he darted round just in time to see Ruby step out from behind the tree and sit next to him. The moonlight was reflected brilliantly in her bright silver eyes.

"You make for a terrible watchman." She giggled quietly and took a seat beside him.

"How come you aren't sleeping, you should be resting with the others." he whispered back.

"I couldn't sleep." She said with a shiver, wrapping her cloak close around her. Jaune wrapped his free arm around her and drew her in for warmth.

"Y'know Ruby, you'd be warmer over by the fire." He said with a smirk.

"Yeah, its more comfy here though..." As she spoke she curled up against him, her tiny body warm against his side.

"Well alright." he relented. Clearly he wasn't about to get anywhere. "Please try and get some sleep though alright?"

"Mhm~" She hummed, closing her eyes and squirming for a moment to get comfortable. Jaune sat back against the tree with a sigh. Though inconvenient, he couldn't help but find Ruby's actions to be thoroughly adorable. He stared out into the gloom for any signs of trouble, listening as Ruby's breathing slowed itself down and she finally fell asleep.

* * *

The shattered moon was into the latter part of its journey across the sky when Jaune's watch ended. As quietly as he could and taking the utmost care not to wake her, Jaune lifted Ruby up and into his arms. He carried her back over and lay her down gently by the dying embers of their small fire. Taking a moment or two to warm his hands over the coals he looked over his sleeping teammates. None of them seemed to have a care in the world despite the fact that they were all sound asleep in a Grimm infested forest.

Taking steps over to the heiress and making sure to keep as quiet as possible, he gently shook her awake. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him for a brief instant with complete confusion.

"It's your watch Weiss." He explained in a hushed voice. The Schnee nodded and puled herself up and dusted off her combat skirt. Jaune watched as she crept over to the same tree he had sat himself under and settled down. Jaune could've sworn that he caught her shiver along the way. As quietly as possible he unbuckled his armour and removed his hoodie. Creeping over to her he wrapped it around her shoulders.

"S-so you don't get too cold." He said.

"But what about you? Won't you be cold now?"

"Me? Nah, I'll build the fire up so I'll be toasty warm." he smiled.

"T-thank you Jaune." She said with a nod and pulled the hoodie over her head so that she was wearing it properly.

"What are teammates for." He grinned and made his way back over to the fire, conscious of the two blue eyes boring into his back the whole way. The knight put a few more pieces of wood onto the fire and stoked it back up to a decent size before finding a relatively rock-free patch of ground to call his own. He closed his eyes and drifted off for the night

* * *

The sun was barely in the sky when Jaune was shaken awake the following morning. He grumbled to himself as his dreams were pulled out from under him. Stretching his arms out wide and loosing an almighty yawn. He opened his eyes to be met with the intense emerald ones of his partner. Glancing around he found that he was the last one to wake.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but we should probably get moving soon if we're to make the pick up later today." She had sympathy in her eyes.

With a groan Jaune pulled himself to his feet and ran through the various motions of his body, limbering up and preparing for the upcoming day. He wasn't looking forward to it. The previous day had taken its toll on him, his whole body ached after the various skirmishes with the Grimm. That coupled with the limited sleep he had gotten, well, he was thoroughly shattered. Staggering over to the stream, he splashed it's icy water in his face and briefly washed. The sheer freezing nature of it brought him out of his sleepy state and woke him right up.

He stomped out the remaining embers of their fire to kill any smoke that might have attracted the Grimm. Weiss walked over to him and handed him his hoodie back.

"Thank you Jaune, It was very kind of you." She said with a hint of a smile.

"That's alright Weiss, I know it was cold last night."

"It certainly kept me warm so thank you."

Jaune nodded to her and put his hoodie on before re-fastening his armour around his torso and shoulders. Contented that it was sitting comfortably and wouldn't cause him any problems he drew his scroll and, utilising it's GPS, found their heading. He began to walk, his team falling into rank behind him. His lack of a proper wash left him feeling unclean as they walked.

* * *

They had been walking for some time by the guidance of Jaune's scroll, over four hours had passed as they scrambled over roots and fought their way through the underbrush. Much like the previous day, it had been hard going. They had been forced to take long diversions more than once as the forest floor fell away to form large steep-sided valleys or sheer ravines.

At around noon after close to seven hours battling against what seemed to be every tree in the forest, they emerged into a large clearing. In the centre sat a large stone circle, most likely built by the first men as a part of their Pagan rituals in the olden times now lost to the ages in the depths of the forest.

Team JSPR paused a moment before making their way over to the ancient stones. They were arrayed into a near-perfect circle. Passing under the huge arches, they stepped into the centre ring. Surrounding them stood a series of small monoliths, each with a statue stood on top. Each and every one was obscured by mounds of moss and lichen, the forest having stepped in to colonise and begin the process of retaking the clearing. In many ways, it saddened Jaune to see such an integral piece of history left to rot in the centre of nowhere.

Ruby slowly and almost reverently picked up one of the statues from the monoliths and rid it of the mosses and lichens clinging to it. Slowly yet surely the object gained definition until it was revealed to be a large white rook chess piece, almost identical to that which they retrieved on their own initiation. Pyrrha, Jaune and Ruby all looked at it with awe and minor confusion while Weiss stood of to one side, a hand over her mouth and a saddened expression.

"What's wrong Weiss?" Ruby asked with an ever-fading smile.

"Do you not know what this is?" She said in hushed tones.

"It looks like an initiation objective that got cancelled." Jaune answered.

"No you dolt! This isn't just any initiation, this is _the_ initiation."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha gave the heiress a quizzical look.

"Do you not know the history of Beacon?" She asked incredulously. "Beacon is the oldest combat school on Vytal, dating back to the early days of mankind on Remnant, when the order of hunters and huntresses was first formed. Did you ever hear or read about the lost initiates of '85?" Her team gave her a collection of blank expressions.

"Basically in the year 1985 Beacon was taking on another generation of first years. Back then they used the forest of forever fall to test the abilities of fledgeling hunters due to the relatively tame varieties of Grimm that inhabited the region, it was mostly Beowolves back then. But in '85 an entire intake of initiates were ambushed by a band of Grimm the likes of which hadn't been seen before in this region and hasn't been seen since. The entire class were slaughtered, and their bodies never found. They were the very last class to be tested in Forever Fall, and these 'relics' that you see, I'm pretty sure that they were meant for that class." Weiss' voice lacked its usual edge as she spoke, gradually fading in volume to the point that her final lines were barely audible. Ruby set the piece back down with an anxious expression as she fully comprehended what Weiss had just told them. Every piece before them represented two lives cut immeasurably short, there were a full thirty-two pieces adding up to a total sixty two students that never made it back. Sixty-two students that never got to grow old, form teams or families. The same number that were currently in the same forest as part of a 'survival exercise', it seemed a touch Ironic.

A tear welled up in Pyrrha's eye and rolled its way slowly down her cheek, falling to the soft turf below. Her eyes lost their intensity and instead grew soft, welling up with emotion and pity for those lost. It was almost humbling that thirty years on from the sordid affair, they were stood in the same spot that their predecessors were aiming for paying homage to them.

They stood in deathly silence in front of the thirty-two unclaimed relics, their eyes closed and heads bowed as an act of respect. One by one the hunters broke off and continued their long and arduous march northward. It was Jaune and Pyrrha that were the last to leave, both lingering that extra moment to look over the aged white rook piece.

"Gods rest your souls, peace be always on you." Jaune whispered, Pyrrha uttered something in her native tongue that the knight could neither hear nor understand. Together the partners turned their backs on the sombre monument and followed on after their teammates, catching up to them before long.

* * *

It was late afternoon when they finally reached the rendezvous point. It was a wide space that had been clear cut for landings, judging by the huge piles of lumber off to one side. It was completely empty save for a small gathering of students sat in various smaller groups on the grass in the centre, it seemed that they were the last to arrive.

Jaune recognised one small cluster them as team BRNY. Both he and his team jogged over to be greeted by a cheerful looking Yang and an excited Nora. They threw themselves down on the grass by their side.

"What took you so long?" Yang teased.

"Oh y'know, got caught up killing loads of Grimm." Ruby replied, waving it off.

"We did have to fight a lot of them off." Pyrrha confirmed as she took her seat.

"That bad huh? And Vomit-boy made it through?" The brawler grinned.

"You bet he did! _And_ he beat an Alpha to death... With its own leg!" Ruby cried, acting out her story with a series of wild and unpredictable hand motions. Yang just stared at her in disbelief, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open.

"Y-you're kidding right?" The blonde bombshell said after a moment.

"No, she's actually telling the truth. Jaune's sword got knocked out of his hands after he had severed its leg. So without anything that he might have used as a better weapon, he picked up its leg and stabbed it with the ankle spines." Weiss said stepping in.

Their whole party was silent with all eyes locked on the knight. Even Blake seemed openly surprised for a moment before regaining her composure and returning to her neutral expression. Nora was grinning at him with a look of awe in her eyes while Ren sat beside her looking as indifferent as ever. Jaune blushed and shifted uncomfortably, feeling the heat as seven pairs of eyes bore down on him as well as several others from nearby clusters of students.

There were hushed murmurs and whispers as the tale spread itself around the various other teams nearby, with each rendition getting wilder and wilder like some kind of twisted game of Chinese whispers

"Maybe I was wrong, maybe Vomit-boy isn't all he seems to be..." Yang said with a shrug. "Still gonna call you Vomit-boy though."

It was late afternoon when the distant whirring of turbine engines could be heard. All sixty-four pairs of eyes shot up to the sky, searching for any signs of their impending salvation. It was Ren that first spotted the aircraft, pointing to them with a long and slender finger. They all peered in the direction he was pointing and made out the silhouettes of several approaching aircraft.

"The sap!" Jaune cried jumping to his feet. His teammates eyes and those of team BRNY grew wide in surprise as they all remembered what their main objective had been. It seems they weren't the only ones as there was a mad dash to the trees on the edge of the clearing. Drawing Crocea Mors, Jaune drove its blade straight into the side of one of the trees and manipulated the sword until there was a steady stream flowing down the blade and dripping from the cross guard. His teammates gathered around with their jars and gradually began the process of filling them.

Thankfully, the distance between the clearing and the evacuation flight was deceptive. It was another twenty minutes before they arrived, dropping low with mere feet of clearance over the treetops. Their turbine engines tilted themselves vertically and brought the craft into a low hover before eventually bringing themselves down onto the turf. By the time they touched down the various teams had returned, burdened with jars filled with the sweet sap. The noise alone was positively deafening with six craft all with running engines. It was a stark contrast to the unearthly silence that had preceded that proved the biggest shock to their system.

Before long, the students had boarded and their sweet cargo was stowed away in massive boxes. Jaune collapsed onto the thinly padded seat, military aircraft not affording the luxury of cushioned seats, and strapped himself it, not wanting a repeat of the journey there. He had had quite enough of falling to last a lifetime.

His motion sickness soon kicked in of course, leaving him green in the face and nauseous. Would he really never get used to being on an aircraft? The worst part was perhaps the smug shit-eating grin that Yang was giving him. Some jokes apparently never get old.

"And this is why the name sticks." She laughed, holding onto her seat restraints.

Jaune groaned and wished for it all to be over soon, or else their aircraft would be getting redecorated entirely and he wouldn't be able to guarantee that Yang's shoes would survive the process. He shuddered as he remembered the flight to Beacon and how he nearly lost his head for puking on her shoe then. Resting his head back he closed his eyes and prayed for it all to be over quickly.

* * *

Roman stood of to the left of the makeshift stage smoking his usual cigar, puffing out huge clouds of white smoke and watching them drift up and away to the rafters. He was about to do something that, as a thief, he had never expected to have to do. He was about to make a speech. His audience were hardly what one might call conventional either yet Cinder had insisted that getting the White Fang on-side was necessary and so here he was.

"You're on." One of the faunus terrorists told him. He sighed, straightened out his coat and adjusted his hat. He gave his newest colleague an imploring look for advice or motivation but she simply stared back with cold eyes, devoid of any and all emotion. She was certainly different to his usual hired muscle, for a start she was around a foot and a half shorter than them. Neopolitan was her name, or so he had been told, and the name certainly fit. Her hair was a three tone mixture of pink, white and brown. Hidden behind her fringe were her eyes. Her irises alternated colour with every blink, seemingly at her own amusement, switching between brown, pink and even white. Rested over her shoulder was her weapon, a parasol of white lace and trimmed with pink. For many that might have seemed a ridiculous, though how wrong they would be. Unbeknownst to all, there resided a long thin knife within the handle of her parasol, her needle so to speak.

Roman took a steadying breath and stepped out onto the stage in front of hundreds upon hundreds of masked faunus. Without even so much as seeing their faces properly he could tell that they all wore the same look of disgust for him, as though it had been copied and pasted onto every one of them.

"I know what you're all thinking, but, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control; the people pulling the strings; the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms! Government; military; even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around... No offence to any rodents in the room."

A ripple of assent went through the crowd, with several of the faunus nodding as they began to come around to his way of thinking. Spurred on, the master thief continued.

"And to help me in my little escapade to wipe them off the map, I have a fair few toys that might just do the job. Still, there are too many for me to play with alone! So I want to share them with you, for a price of course. I present to you; the 'Atlesian Paladin'!"

With a smirk he gave the nod and a large dust sheet behind him dropped to reveal a fearsome looking mech suit. There were gasps as many of the faunus looked on in disbelief.

"These bad boys have just rolled into town and are due to go into active service some time next month but I, have managed to...'acquire' twenty six of these and I offer them to you. So what do you say? Will you come with me and strike at the very heart of the kingdom? Will you help me bring your oppressors to their knees? Will you fight with me for your own liberation within the society that has for so long kept you down?"

In unison they replied, pumping their fists into the air in a frenzy chanting the word yes over and over in time with their stamping feet. It was a vision that brought a sense of cold dread into the thief's heart. Looking behind him, even Neo appeared slightly perturbed by the sight. The power of the masses is truly a terrifying thing.

"Then pack your bags and return here in just three days! In three days we head for Mountain Glen! Say goodbye to your loved ones, we're going to be gone for a while..."

* * *

**Roman Torchwick what are you doing? Supplying terrorists with military grade equipment... bad man.**

**Well, that's the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought, I read them all. Next time events move apace and we advance towards the Vytal festival dance and we can truly begin to break away from the canon aspects and into my plot. I think you're gonna love where I'm planning on taking this, but you'll just have to wait and see for yourselves. I'm trying to layer on the advancement of relationships slowly, to allow time for the chemistry to develop between the involved characters so do let me know how you think that's going. Follow and favourite if you liked it, updates will be coming in around a week's time so stay tuned.**

**Before I go, I'd like to give a quick shout out to my fellow author LizzieTheRose. Her work on writing Neo is very very good indeed, she writes Neo in such a way that I haven't seen before and that keeps one curious about her. I'd certainly recommend having a look over her work.**

**Thank you all for reading and as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	8. A Dance, A Date

**Hello everyone, coming at you live with a new chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. Was a little bit of a struggle to write but it is done.**

* * *

Jaune was far beyond relieved when their aircraft touched down back at Beacon combat academy. It seemed an agonisingly slow process for the loading ramp to lower far enough for him to escape the confines of the aircraft. Darting out as fast as his legs could possibly carry him, at speeds that might have rivalled even Ruby's. Once free and under the bright sun, he dropped to his knees with his arms held out wide and basked in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Whilst it was true that the flight back had been hell, it had only been accentuated by both Yang _and_ Nora trying to force him into giving up his fish supper from the previous night. An act that left him feeling utterly betrayed and yet, in a way it proved to be an incredibly good motivator. The blonde fought with renewed determination, concentrating and blocking out their faked retching noises to reach deep within himself and call forth the essence of his soul to calm his unruly stomach.

Still on his knees, he felt the knots in his stomach begin to unravel and his muscles begin to relax. Every part of him was once again beginning to unwind. Wiping his forehead on the back of his sleeve, he removed the film of sweat that had developed over the course of their flight back. Pyrrha walked over to him and tentatively helped him back to his feet with a smile as Yang and Nora both walked past shooting him disappointed looks. To his absolute surprise they handed Ren two small wads of crumpled up cash while the lotus smirked.

"T-they made a bet?!" Jaune asked incredulously as he climbed up to his feet again with Pyrrha's help.

"Yes, and both Yang _and _Nora lost their entire month's money." Weiss explained. The knight shrugged, a little unsure of how to feel after having just been the foot of a bet between his friends. His deliberations were soon cut short as a stern looking Goodwitch marched up towards the landing pads, her high-heeled boots click-clacking against the stone pathways. She stopped in front of the freshly disembarked students and folded her arms.

"Welcome back students, there will be an assembly within the main auditorium in one hour. I would advise that you use this time wisely to get yourselves cleaned and changed and for your leaders to debrief you on your performances in the forest. That is all." She concluded and stepped out of the way as a whole stampede of first-years rocketed off towards their dorms at the promise of hot water and clean clothes.

Jaune and his team remained behind, spun around and thoroughly disoriented by the sudden rush. Once in the clear and having gathered themselves once again, they too set off back to the dorms at a calm yet hurried pace, a result of Weiss' constant insistence that the showers would still be there even if they walked. Very few words were spoken between the teammates save for the few necessary to establish the order for the showers. Pyrrha was set to be the first in, followed by Ruby whom usually took an eternity, then Weiss and finally Jaune. The three girls deciding that as he was a boy, he had the least to do.

Quickly swiping the door lock they barrelled in and all set about their various tasks in a flurry of activity; gathering up towels and setting out uniforms ready for their inevitable rush to get ready. No more than thirty seconds had passed before Pyrrha was in the shower, the hot water cascading over her supple body and washing away the accumulated grime of the past two days. With tender-loving-care she ran up a lather in her hair of her juniper scented shampoo and slowly but surely worked out the various knots and tangles until she was able to run her fingers through the flowing red strands smoothly.

Jaune's first step when he got in was to drop his armour and collapse on his bed. Reaching under his pillow he retrieved his newest issue of his 'X-ray and Vav' comics. Settling up against the headboard he set about reading the graphic novel while all around him was pandemonium. It puzzled him just how it was such a big issue for women to get ready when it took him barely ten minutes to be ready and out the door.

When the knight was about halfway through his comic, a voluminous cloud of steam signalled Pyrrha's return from the shower. Before the door could even begin to swing to Ruby had darted into the bathroom with a trail of rose petals. Looking over the top of his comic, the blonde's eye's caught sight of his partner clad in nought but a towel. His cheeks flushed scarlet as he caught himself staring, his jaw beginning to hang slack. Sure, he had seen her in a towel before, but never more than a fleeting glance. Never such prolonged appreciation as he was currently and unmistakably guilty of. With an extreme effort he tore his eyes away from his partner and forced them back onto the cartoons of his comic.

He read on as Ruby darted out of the bathroom and Weiss headed in, the final push before Jaune could finally sort himself out. Judging by the pride that the heiress seemed to take in her appearance, the knight estimated that it would be roughly another fifteen minutes at least before she was out again. That would leave him with just a little over ten minutes to get himself ready and out the door. Whilst that wouldn't prove to be too much of a problem, and he was glad for being able to rest for three quarters of an hour, he did wish that he could have that little bit longer to shower though. The events of the past few days had left him feeling thoroughly unclean in a way that only an hour long soak in the bath could fix.

True to his estimate, Weiss reappeared just shy of fifteen minutes later. Pulling himself up and off of his bed he shuffled on dead feet through to the bathroom, pausing only to grab his towel and a fresh set of boxer shorts. He dived under the shower, glad for being the last given that it meant immediately hot water. He stood perfectly still under the torrent, allowing it to flow through his hair and face. Droplets hung from his nose and tickled him terribly to an extent that he found himself chuckling happily to it. He felt rejuvinated as the water ran across his body ridding him of the accumulated sweat and the smell of desperation, cleansing him entirely.

In that room, under that water, time ceased to exist for the knight. He knew nothing more that the drumming of the water dripping off of his body to his feet, the warmth of the steam. It was bliss, his own little piece of paradise. Well, it was until a rather angry sounding Weiss broke it apart.

"Hurry up you dolt! We're going to be late!" came her voice through the door. Despite its muffled nature, there was no denying the urgency in it. The blonde shut of the water and leapt out of the shower, towelling himself off and slipping into a fresh set of underwear. He flung open the door and rushed over to his wardrobe and retrieved his uniform. It was only a matter of moments before he was dressed in Beacon's uniform. He never believed that he would get used to the uptight formality of it all, and in a way it confused him that a combat school would have such an impractical uniform.

Once dressed he grabbed his scroll and together with his team ran out of their dorm room and down the corridor. Team BRNY burst from their own dorm and followed closely behind, keeping pace as they practically sprinted through the grand halls and hundreds of unnecessary hallways before finally arriving at the auditorium. They merged with the gathered crowds, every first year together. JSPR and BRNY found themselves stuck in the centre of the press of bodies with just enough space to breathe comfortably as everyone pushed closer to the stage. It was an incredibly claustrophobic setting.

Such a close proximity to the various other students led to particularly awkward circumstances. Pyrrha was pushed right up against him in the crowds leaving the two of them more than a little bit red in the face. She didn't seem to mind too much, smiling brightly whenever he turned round to apologise. If he didn't know better, he might have thought her to be enjoying the contact.

He was pulled out of his musings as the enigmatic headmaster took to the stage. He was accompanied, as always, by the stern and precise form of Professor Goodwitch as well as a man that Jaune hadn't yet seen before. He was a tall and proud looking man with greying black hair and garbed in the crisp and formal attire of soldier. Hung upon the left side of his chest were a series of decorations and commendations from what must have been a long term of service.

"Students." Ozpin began. "Today we stand together united both as teams and on a global scale. Vale, Atlas, Vacuo and Mistral. The four kingdoms of Remnant, all striving together and working towards a brighter future, yet this was not always the case. On this day eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or whom traded with who, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of countless forms of art and self expression. As many of you are well aware that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the very core aspects of art itself; colour. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, neither would the generations to come. It was a trend that lived on and still survives to this very day. We encourage expressionism, individuality and unity through diversity. Over the coming weeks as the world comes together to celebrate the peace, huntsmen and huntresses the world over will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission."

High tech holographic screens, not too dissimilar from those of their scrolls rose from the floor around the edges of the amphitheatre. Each one was labelled with a specific type of mission ranging from defensive duties through to Grimm culling.

"Looking around at these screens, you will notice the wide variety of tasks available for your choosing. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days, while others may work within the walls for the duration of the festival. But no matter which path you choose; remember to be safe, remember your training and remember to do your very best."

The mood was one of inspired awe as Professor Ozpin left the stage, accompanied by the subdued applause of the gathered students. Jaune's mind was kicked into overdrive by the mention of missions. Shadowing a real huntsman or huntress? The idea was so exciting that it was a hard struggle to contain himself. Ruby seemed to share in his enthusiasm, hopping up and down on the spot and irritating a few nearby students, including one heiress in particular.

"Ruby! Will you please stand still!" Weiss hissed, her eyes flaring up angrily.

"But Weiss~" She whined. "We get to work with _real_ huntsmen or huntresses!"

"I know. But now isn't the time to get all excited. Can you please wait until we're outside?" She retorted. Ruby pouted and stuck her tongue out as Weiss turned back to face the front. Jaune leant over towards the petite rose with a grin and whispered to her.

"Don't mind the Ice Queen Rubes, I'm just as excited as you are." He chuckled.

"That makes the three of us." Pyrrha chimed in with a smile. Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed discontentedly, seemingly hearing her teammates behind her.

* * *

When the speeches ended the crowd dispersed, dividing up into the various small teams of the first years. Jaune and his team immediately set off around the various screens, reading up on each of the different classes of mission and what it would entail. It was decided by mutual agreement that a mission outside the kingdom was preferable, though what kind they were still unsure of.

As they walked along, skimming the various locations and objective Jaune quite suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were locked on one of the missions, a Grimm clearance. Though it was not so much _what_ it was, as _where_ it was. For there, displayed on the screen was the name of his home town. According to the briefing the local sheriff was having some trouble with the local Grimm.

"Hey guys! What about this one?" He called after his teammates. They turned on their heels and walked over to him with expressions of curiosity.

"What's so special about that one?" Weiss asked.

"Well, it's a really small village quite far away. They need all the help that they can get, and judging by the briefing there will be a decent amount of action for us. That and... it's my home town."

"So you want all of us to go all that way, just so that you can visit your family?" The heiress demanded, her hands balled into fists and rested on her hips.

"Come on Weiss, he's just worried about them. Wouldn't you be worried about your family in that situation?" Ruby said, jumping to the aid of her leader.

"Well of course I would, but I would trust that they would take care of themselves. Aren't your family all huntsmen and huntresses anyway?"

"Some of them are yeah."

"Well there you go, I'm sure that they call look after themselves." She huffed. "Now why don't we take a look at some of the 'search and destroy missions?"

The heiress began to walk away and with a resigned sigh, Jaune made to follow after her. Before he could make it so much as two steps a hand grasped his shoulder in a gentle yet firm manner, fixing him in place. Turning around he found it to be Pyrrha, the Champion smiled at him and shook her head ever so slightly. Beside her, Ruby stood resolute with an unusual fire burning within her silver eyes.

Ahead of them, Weiss paused and turned to see her three teammates standing resolutely by the same screen. With a sigh she walked back over and crossed her arms, icy blue eyes flitting between each of them.

"Oh you _cannot_ be serious." She sighed.

"Weiss, Jaune is our leader. Don't you think that as his team we should support him on this one? You said it yourself, you would be worried in his situation.."

"My family would give us somewhere to stay for the duration of our stay. It won't be anything too fancy, just a bed and four walls really, but it would be warm and my Mom is a great cook. That has to be better than sleeping outdoors right?"

"It does sound like a better choice to sleeping on the ground." The heiress' cold look held for a few moments before she finally relented with a sigh. "Fine... We'll go help your village."

"Thank you Weiss." The blonde smiled. He stepped up to the screen and selected their chosen mission, inputting the details of his team and syncing the mission details up to his scroll. The details of their accompanying huntsman/huntress was set to be forwarded to them closer to the time once one had been arranged.

With their mission selected and locked in, the four teenagers sought out their partner team BRNY. They were stood over by the 'search and destroy' board with professor Ozpin, organising the details for a mission. They smiled collectively as JSPR approached.

"So guys, what did you choose?" Yang beamed.

"Grimm clearance mission up North. A town is in some trouble." her fellow blonde replied. "What did you get?"

"Cool, plenty of action for the lot of you huh?"The brawler grinned and cracked her knuckles. "We got a search and destroy in some failed expansion outta the kingdom. Plenty of Grimm to hand the beat-down to."

"We get to smash up an old city!" Nora chirped, grinning ear to ear.

"Nora, I don't think that is quite the case." Ren said, patting his lifelong friend on the shoulder.

"Awww... that's no fun." The Valkyrie whined.

"We had best get going. We need to get some training done if we're to be in top form for this mission." Blake said as she led her team off and towards the exit, pulling her partner along by her elbow. JSPR bid them a goodbye before they too made for the exit.

* * *

The sounds of steel-on-steel had fallen silent that evening, the training pair had chosen to forgo their nightly sparring to better train the knight's aura manipulation. They sat in the centre of the roof, cross-legged with their eyes closed as was their norm. The shattered moon shone down brightly in its full glory, illuminating them is its pale and unearthly light. Pyrrha held gently onto his hands as they worked, at first this had been a way for her to help him manipulate his aura. By joining her's with his, she had been able to guide him in how to summon it. Yet once he had learned how to do it on his own she still seemed to insist on holding his hands, it had become almost a tradition between them.

Concentrating on his breathing, maintaining a slow and steady rhythm, the knight reached deep within himself and grasped at his inner power and pulled at it, just as he had many times before. Slowly, this stored power began to soak into him and fill him with energy. His body began to glow a bright and ethereal gold as his aura flowed free and formed a solid barrier around his body. Sweat beaded the blonde's forehead as he fought to maintain his personal soul-shield. Thirty seconds passed, then a minute and then five with the knight's aura holding firm and unwavering around him.

Near ten minutes had passed when Jaune finally relinquished his control over his aura reserves, the longest time he had ever managed to hold it for. He leant back on his hands, panting heavily. Pyrrha smiled warmly and handed him a bottle of water which he accepted gratefully, taking a long draught before he proffered it back to her. The redhead took a few sips and set it aside, returning her attentions to her partner.

"That was excellent Jaune. A few more sessions like this and we'll be ready to begin working on discovering your semblance."

"R-really?"

"Yes, your aura control is getting a lot better. Not many people can hold a solid shield for as long as you just did. It requires a great deal of concentration and willpower. In fact I think we can call it a night for now."

Jaune blushed with pride at her compliment and puffed his chest out like a rooster. She giggled a little at the sight and pulled herself up to her feet. She gathered her things and walked with him towards the staircase down to the dorms.

"Pyrrha, have you uh... you given any thought to who you want to take to the dance?" The blonde asked nervously. He had been thinking about this since Ozpin's speech in the auditorium, a dance meant that people were expected to have dates, and that meant he had to ask someone. He had thought about asking Weiss but dismissed that one out of hand. Ruby had seemed a much more sensible choice however, he didn't really feel like facing off against Yang when she found out. No, by far Pyrrha was probably his best choice. She was his best friend, partner and incredibly beautiful. The problem was that she was the champion of Mistral, a celebrity in her own right and that meant that a lot of other guys would be looking to woo her for themselves. They had already begun. On their way back from the assembly, three different guys had tried their luck and been turned down. Jaune had felt a feeling of relief in seeing that, one which he simply couldn't explain and had troubled him a little. She was his friend, so why did he feel pangs of jealousy at the thought of her going to the dance with other guys, and why did he feel relieved when she turned them down?

_'We're just friends.' _He had repeated to himself in his mind, although a part of him disagreed. A tiny insignificant portion of his heart seemed to hold a candle for the red-haired victor and that scared him a little.

Pyrrha's breath hitched at his question, her mind running at a million miles a minute. Was her partner about to ask her to the dance? It seemed a long shot and one that she didn't want to hold out too much hope for. A warm feeling directed at the knight rose up within her, she wrestled with it and fought it into submission although it still lingered on the edges of her mind.

_'We're just friends'_ She told herself, steadying her nerves.

"No, I can't say I have. In truth there are very few people I would want to go with."

"W-well, I uh... I was wondering..."

_'Here it comes'_

"If you um... If you'd like to... maybe, come to the dance w-with me?" He blushed. The champion fought the urge to squeal with excitement and lock him in a bone crushing hug. Instead she smiled brilliantly at the knight, her hands trembling somewhat at her side and her eyes shining brilliantly under the light of the shattered moon.

"I would love to!" She answered him, unable to contain nor mask the sound of excitement in her voice. "I've never been to a dance before, at least not with anyone my own age. This is going to be so much fun!"

"R-really? I'd have thought that the Champion of Mistral would have had men clambering over one another to take you to a dance." He said with a grin, stepping in and hugging her tightly. The redhead paused for a moment, content to be in the arms of the knight.

"I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities; I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise; but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people. So there are very few people I would want to ask at all except my partner." She said with a sigh, her cheeks turning red as she mentioned the knight.

"Well then, it's gonna be a first for us both and that makes things a lot more fun for the both of us doesn't it. I mean, except for the dancing bit... I uh, that makes me nervous. I've never danced with a girl before."

"Don't worry about it, we'll just have to work it out as we go along." She smiled and together the two of them left the rooftop and headed back to their dorm room.

* * *

Ruby was nervous, more nervous than she had been in a long time. The little rose was about to take a foray into entirely unknown territory, she was about to ask a boy to be her date. More specifically, she was about to ask Jaune. She had relayed her plan to Weiss the moment that both the blonde and his partner had gone off to the roof to train. At first the heiress had been stunned and shocked into silence, she uttered only one word to start with.

"Why?"

"I-it's a mixture of reasons really. When we got here, he was the first friend I ever made. He was kind and funny and I guess I felt comfortable around him, like I didn't have to stand on ceremony and could just... be me y'know?"

"But Ruby, he's such a dolt! You could do so much better." The heiress retorted, crossing her arms in defiance.

"I don't want to do better, you might not see him for what he is, but I do. He's sweet and caring and he only wants for us to do well. It might just be some crush and it might not work out but I'll never know if I don't try, and with the dance coming up I'm not going to get another chance like this Weiss. You don't have to agree with it but I'd appreciate if you'd help me."

Weiss was silent for a good while, her eyes cold and forbidding. Inside her mind a battle raged between her two possible options with neither having the advantage. On the one hand she doubted the suitability of their leader as a romantic interest for the young reaper. While yes, he was honest and didn't seem the type to exploit her, he was still a complete goof. Yet on the other, denying Ruby her help might lead to potential resentment should she go ahead with her plans. It was the lesser of two evils, and whilst she didn't approve of the match, it was her duty as Ruby's partner to help her out.

"Alright, I'll help you." She relented with a sigh. Before she could react, the rose had shot forward and the speed of a bullet and tackle hugged her.

"Thank you! I'll never forget this!"

"You're welcome Ruby now please _get off_!" The Schnee cried.

With a blush Ruby released her hold on Weiss and took a seat beside her with an expectant and yet nervous look. Weiss took a moment to smooth out her clothes and compose herself before looking Ruby up and down critically in a way that made the young rose shift uncomfortably.

"It'll do." She said at last. "Now here's the plan..."

* * *

By the time the two training partners returned, Ruby had become a nervous wreck. At the mere sight of her chosen blonde, her hands clammed up and her heart began to pound at a million miles a minute. Over the past couple of hours her partnered had tutored her in exactly what to say and how to act but in that instant she had forgotten it all. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. Looking over at her partner she was about to abort. The heiress gave her a rare smile, bolstering her courage and helping calm her nerves.

"Pyrrha, would you mind coming to the library with me? I need to get a book and it'll be faster finding it with two of us." Weiss said, stepping towards the heiress.

"Sure, I don't see why not." The champion replied and followed the heiress out of the room leaving the knight and the reaper alone together.

Stage one complete, now that she was alone with him it was her chance. She watched as he stumbled over to his bed and dumped his armour at the foot before collapsing with a sigh onto the soft mattress. He lay staring up at the ceiling for a short while, an awkward silence settling between the two. Taking a steadying breath Ruby broke the silence.

"Tough session tonight?" She asked. It seemed a good start.

"Kinda, I guess it's just frustrating. I thought I'd have learned more by now." He answered.

"You're doing really well Jaune, everyone has noticed how much you've improved. Even Goodwitch seemed impressed. You just gotta keep at it."

"I guess you're right Rubes, thanks." He smiled warmly, making her knees feel weak.

"H-hey Jaune... I was wondering, the d-dance is coming up and well... I was wondering if y-you might uh... might like to go... W-with me I mean." She stammered, her hands trembling violently.

"I-I'm sorry Ruby, I kinda already asked Pyrrha..." he replied with an expression akin to both shock and extreme guilt. He looked her dead in the eyes as he spoke. Hearing those words Ruby's heart sank, this was not going according to plan at all. Tears began to form in her eyes and it took everything she had to keep them from falling.

"O-oh..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she spoke. "I guess that makes sense."

The knight climbed to his feet and sat beside her, he paused a moment before enveloping her with his arms in a tight hug. She snuggled into his chest in silence, no longer able to trust her voice.

"Ruby, there are plenty of other guys out there who would kill to be able to go to the dance with you. You're _Ruby Rose_! The prodigy that got into Remnant's top combat school two years early. If you don't have a date to the dance, I will go in a dress and dance with you. What do you say?"

She giggled at the thought of the tall blonde in a dress and pulled away from his chest looking up at him with her bright silver eyes. She nodded slightly and cuddled into him all the tighter. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind for the dance but it was a good compromise.

"A-alright. But will you really wear a dress?" She giggled.

"You bet, a nice flowery one, just for you." He grinned and booped her on the nose.

For a long while neither of them moved. It was only when the lock to their dorm clicked open that the two of them moved apart again. They exchanged easy smiles with one another before Jaune settled in to enjoy the rest of his comic book. If anything was certain, it was that this dance would be an interesting affair for all involved. And the blonde couldn't wait.

* * *

**Aren't they just the cutest? I tried to move the shippy side of it on a little bit quicker, though I hope it wasn't a little bit too quick. Let me know what you think in the reviews. As this one gets published, Im almost done writing the next. Im gonna try and write as much as I can but updates might slow down as I approach exam season. It's my final year and I need to focus on my exams if I have any hope of following my history/archaeology teaching dreams. **

**As always, don't forget to favourite of follow if you liked this. Updates every weekend ish.**

**Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	9. Dresses for Dancers

**Hello everyone, now that the shipping has begun and the dance is on its way the story can really kick off. I get to break away from the main plot now and write what I had planned all along. This fic is actually gonna be what I think might happen for Volume 3 (which I am super hyped for) so it'll be kinda cool to see if I'm right about it or not. Anyway, without any further ado, I present chapter 9. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The sun was shining brilliantly as Jaune and his team walked their way down to the airport of Beacon combat academy. The past one had been one of excitement and anticipation for the impending tidal wave of students from the other three kingdoms. Since Vale had been chosen to host the Vytal festival, students from all over the globe were gathering for the tournament. And Weiss wanted to scope out the competition. Rumour had it that the first shipments of students were due to be arriving at Vale's docks later that day so the petite heiress had grabbed her team and dragged them out for the day under the pretence of 'Team Bonding.'

With a collective sigh of resignation Jaune, Pyrrha and Ruby had all agreed to her scheme. None of them were under any illusions about the heiress' true motives but they each needed to top up their supplies of ink, ammunition and maintenance gear so it made sense for them to go along with her. The Schnee led their little procession, humming a song that none of them had ever heard before softly to herself. She seemed in unusually high spirits considering it all. They boarded their aircraft and took their seats, ready for take off.

The aircraft's interior was comfortable enough with plush seats to recline in and a friendly hostess wheeling around a small trolley of snacks and beverages. Just one of the many things the Valean council had done in preparation for the festival was improve the services provided on all of the public transport networks. After all, the kingdom couldn't afford to give off such a poor image when so many guests were flocking in. The festival was likely to decide the prosperity of the tourist industry that year so everything had to be tip-top.

They took off surprisingly on-time and banked around, their craft angling for the city. The ride felt unusually smooth to Jaune, so much so that his stomach hardly troubled him. He sat calmly in his seat and actually relaxed, enjoying the view of the clouds. They all seemed so light and puffy, they both entranced and confused him at the same time. It was odd knowing that if he were to just put his arm out the window, he could touch them. His was torn from his stupor by one of the air hostesses with her trolley. Between them they bought a few nibbles, it took everything they had to persuade the hostess _not_ to sell Ruby her entire stock of chocolate chip cookies.

It wasn't much longer afterwards they they all stepped out into the sun in a surprisingly controlled manner, the knight not having to fight his way through the crowds in a frenzy before he threw up. They followed the crowds into the packed terminal before making their way over to the exit and into the city proper. It was heaving. On an ordinary day Vale might have been considered busy, but if Jaune had to have guessed, he might have placed the number of people at ten times their regular level. It was astounding to say the least, and the atmosphere was astonishing.

Far from its usual subdued levels, the city of Vale felt truly alive and filled with energy. The run down looking business seemed to have been given a second wind by the festival atmosphere, and all around were men, women and children from the other kingdoms, recognisable by their strange clothing and in the case of those from Vacuo, darker skin tones. To see such cultural diversity all gathered in one place was an incredible sight. Jaune cast his gaze around taking in all he could about them, their unusual clothes had a certain endearing quality about them, though whether it was the bright colours or elaborate designs stitched into them he didn't know.

"Ugh! We'll never find the foreign students in all this!" Weiss cried out in anguish.

They made their way through the city, swerving around various different people and keeping an eye out for any exchange students in the crowds, though to no avail until at last the heiress simply gave up searching and they all moved on to option two on their list. It took them twice as long as normal as they made their way into the down town shopping district, a quaint little collection of trendy boutiques and second hand shops all contained within a couple of blocks one each other. The four teenagers followed the well worn path to the large weapon store in the central plaza. A path walked by hundreds of students before them and one that would be used by hundreds after. It was a large store when compared to those around it, though it only had a simple display with the primary item being a large sign which read;

_'Weth and Smisson, producers of fine ammunition and weaponry. Proud suppliers to the prestigious Beacon combat academy, trainers of the finest huntsmen and huntresses on Remnant. High quality at affordable prices, check in-store.'_

They opened the door and entered the little shop, chimes rang out overhead notifying the owners of their presence. The inside of the store was brightly lit and the thick smell of gun oil and metal hung heavy in the air. The store's interior was a simple one, devoid of all unnecessary decorations. All along the walls were hung large cabinets in which were displayed a wide range of high quality weaponry, the craftsmanship clear for anyone to see. At the back end of the shop was a long wooden counter, behind which was a fully functioning gunsmiths workshop. Thankfully it wasn't in use or the sound might have been unbearable.

Sat at the counter, leant on his elbows with a bored expression was a burly man with cropped, greying black hair and the most bushy beard that any of them had seen. He had the sleeves of his t-shirt rolled up past the elbow and wore a thick brown ox hide apron that was scarred and scuffed from years of working in a workshop. He smiled warmly at them as they approached.

"G'day! I'm Smisson, one of the owners. How can I help you kids today?" He had a deep booming voice.

"We're looking to replenish our supplies." Weiss said in a business-like manner. "I was told that there would be a dust delivery here for me from the Schnee Dust Company?"

"Ah! Miss Schnee, my apologies I didn't recognise you. I'll be right back." He nodded and disappeared out of sight for a moment before returning with a large crate marked with the Schnee Dust Company logo. Opening it up he remove two smaller briefcases and opened them in front of her. Inside each one and set into small hollows in the padding, were twelve vials of dust of varying colour from blue to red and every one in between. The heiress plucked them out and held them up, inspecting the crystals. Seemingly satisfied she put them back in and closed the case with a nod.

"Please have these shipped up to Beacon for me along with anything that my team here order." She said, handing over a fair amount of money for delivery costs. Smisson nodded and lifted the cases off the counter and packed them back in their crate. With a slight grunt he moved the crate off and stowed it away under the counter.

"An' what can I do for you guys?"

"I need about five hundred high impact .50 dust rounds." Ruby said with a smile placing one of her own rounds on the counter as an example. Smisson picked the round up with an appreciative whistle, looking over it and taking a few quick measurements before handing it back. He made a brief note on some paper and pinned it to a corked notice board. Ruby handed him enough cash to cover the costs of her order.

"I think we can do that for you little Sheila. Be done a week today. Anything else?"

"Yes, I need a quart of gun oil and about five hundred .303 rounds." Pyrrha said with her signature warm smile. Again Smisson made a note on his paper and told her that her order would be ready in one week, she too handed him a small wad of cash. With their orders placed and paid for team JSPR left the store and headed back out into the bright sunshine of Vale. The fresh air was a stark contrast to the must nature of the weapon smiths store.

No sooner had they gone two steps when a blonde boy came sprinting down the street at full pelt and crashed straight into Pyrrha, sending them both sprawling to the pavement. Quick as a wink the boy was back on his feet again and running down the street a golden tail trailing behind him. Jaune offered his partner a hand up and she dusted herself off, checking herself for injuries a look of anguish crossed her face.

"M-my wallet! It's gone! H-he must have stolen it when he bumped into me..." She sighed, her face dropping.

"Well don't just stand there! Lets go after him!" Weiss cried, setting off down the street at a dead run. Her team watched in surprise before following after. Weiss ran on, seemingly by instinct alone. Ahead of them they soon caught sight of the faunus thief and it seemed for a moment that they might actually catch him but as they rounded a corner the heiress collided with something and fell to the ground in a heap. Lifting her head, she watched hopelessly as the thief ran off and out of sight. JSPR caught up with their combat-skirted crusader and helped her up to her feet.

Looking down they found that she had collided with a girl. She had a pale complexion, with a scattering of freckles all framed by bright copper hair in which sat a green bow. She slowly climbed back to her feet and dusted herself off. Looking up she locked team JSPR with bright green eyes. She was dressed rather simply is a grey top and skirt with black pants with a bright green stripe running the length of the leg.

"I'm so sorry I didn't see you, are you alright?" Weiss blurted out apologetically.

"Am I alright? Why yes, I suppose I am." The girl smiled.

"Okay... Well we had best be going." Weiss said as she began walking in the direction that the thief had run.

"See you round friend." Ruby chirped and began to follow after her partner but was stopped by a gentle and yet firm pressure on her wrist. Turning round to investigate she was met with the intense emerald stare of the orange haired girl. Ruby's eyes widened in a slight panic, her team watched on, ready to step in at any moment.

"Am I really?" The girl asked with what sounded to be hope in her voice and her face so close to Ruby's that their noses nearly touched.

"Are you really what?"

"You called me your friend, am I really your friend?" Ruby looked around at her teammates for help but they looked back at her with as much confusion in their eyes as she felt.

"Y-yes..." The little reaper replied. She almost fell to the floor as the girl suddenly released her.

"Sen-sational!" She cried "My first friend! I'm Penny!"

"R-Ruby... Pleased to meet you." Ruby replied, clearly unsure what was going on if the look on her face was anything to go by.

"And are these your other friends?" Penny asked enthusiastically, gesturing to the three teenagers stood nearby.

"Y-Yeah they're my team. We all go to Beacon together. That's Jaune, Pyrrha and my training partner Weiss." She explained and pointed to each of them in turn. Penny eyed the blonde knight intensely, making him feel uncomfortable in his own skin and blush slightly. Penny's eyes widened with some form of profound revelation.

"Is he your boyfriend?" She whispered, although everyone nearby could still hear perfectly well. Ruby's face turned bright red, of all the questions she had to ask why that one? It felt as though all of her blood was building in her head.

"N-no! He's a friend that's all, just a friend!" She stammered.

"Do you like him?" Penny persisted. For Ruby, things had begun to go from bad to worse. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to evade the subject, after her disastrous attempt to ask him to the dance, she had been keeping her head down and avoiding the subject like one might avoid the plague. Today had been the first mention in a while, the three girls had planned to go shopping for their respective dresses while they were in town.

"Uh Penny, I uh... no?" Ruby internally cursed at just how weak her reply had sounded. It was simply too weak a response. Fortunately, Weiss came to her aid before the conversation could go any further.

"I'm sorry Penny but we should really be going. We have quite a lot to do today. I'm sure Ruby could give you her scroll number and you could arrange to meet another time?" The heiress said sternly, grabbing her partner's wrist defensively. Ruby hastily relayed the digits to her new friend and shouted a hasty goodbye to her new 'friend' before the heiress managed to drag her off. They were followed shortly afterwards by a giggling Pyrrha and a _very_ red-faced Jaune. As he walked past her, Penny gave the sleeve of his hoodie a gentle tug and pulled him aside.

"As Ruby's friend, it's my job to tell you that I won't be very nice if you break her heart ok? Right after she and I get done comfort-eating ice cream."

Was this girl even real? Jaune wondered to himself before nodding nervously and rushing off with Pyrrha to chase after their teammates. They rejoined them some ways down the road to find them discussing their brief encounter with the ginger girl.

"Well that was... Weird." Jaune said with a slight shiver.

"I don't know, she seemed nice enough to me, a little bit embarrassing but nice all the same."

The four teenagers made their way through the shopping district to the shop of their desires. It was a flashy fine clothing outlet. The window displayed three elegant flowing gowns in white, emerald and black and above the door was hung the name of the store. Jaune chuckled as he read it, _'Frock, stock and two smokin' heels.'_

The girls lead the way into the store and found it much the same as the window display had suggested. All around them were hung countless dresses of all shapes, sizes and styles from open backed to strapless. Their choices were endless. Weiss stepped around the store, eyeing the clothing appreciatively, followed by an equally impressed Ruby. Yet Pyrrha hardly move, instead she looked around the store forlornly.

"What's wrong Pyrrha?" Her partner asked.

"That thief took my month's allowance. I can't afford any of these gowns. It looks like I'm going to have to have one sent from home."

"N-no Pyrrha, I can't have that. Choose a dress that you like and I'll pay for it." he smiled.

"Jaune I can't take your money off of you."

"It's alright Pyrrha, I want to do this. I wont lose out, I have more money than I need anyway. I don't use bullets remember? Now you go ahead and choose a dress." He smiled and handed her roughly half the cash from his wallet. She looked at him and her smile grew. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Jaune! You're the best friend ever!" she cried.

Ruby heard their raised voices and turned round to face the commotion to see Pyrrha hugging Jaune. A pang of jealousy manifested itself in her heart as she looked on, her stupid crush. Why did it have to be him? She didn't stand a chance... How could she compete with the champion of Mistral? She spent so much more time with him.

_'But what if I spent more time with him? Then he might start to see me for who I am!' _She thought to herself with a mischievous grin. A half baked plan began to form in her head. One that might just work and snatch him from the champion's grasp. It almost seemed a dirty and underhanded tactic to try and take him for herself, after all Pyrrha was her friend. But it was like Yang always used to say. _'All's fair in love and war Rubes.' _Now all she had to do was bide her time and wait for the opportune moment.

It was well over an hour later that they re-emerged from that clothing store, the whole experience had left Jaune feeling thoroughly tired. He had been measured and had paid for his tuxedo inside of half an hour while the girls were still debating whether or not frills would work well for Ruby or not. In the end they had decided yes, and had begun the process of picking dresses. At this point Jaune had been sent outside, none of the girls wanting anyone to know about their dresses until the day of the dance, except for each other of course.

The blonde had settled onto the pavement and leant back against the store front to wait for them to come back out. It was a long wait, he pulled out his scroll and was surprised to find a text from Ren. To his surprise, the lotus claimed to be in the exact same predicament outside of another one of Vale's elaborate clothing stores. Seemingly, Weiss and Yang had both had similar ideas when it came down to getting ready for the dance. He exchanged texts with team BRNY's stoic until the three girls came out onto the street again, wide smiles playing about their faces.

"Did you all manage to find something that you like?" he asked nervously. He was pretty sure that he already knew the answer but he wanted to be sure.

"Of course we did you dolt!" the ice queen answered.

"So we don't have to go through all this again?"

"No..." She sighed, rolling her eyes and setting off for the airport. Along the way Pyrrha walked beside her partner in silence, looking like she was deep in thought.

"Jaune, I can't thank you enough for what you did today. I'll pay you back as soon as I can, I promise." She said breaking the silence at last. Jaune only chuckled in response.

"Pyrrha, you don't have to pay me back. You've been training me for weeks now, it's the least I can do."

"W-well, if you're sure. I picked out something a bit special, I hope you'll like it." She said with a blush.

"Pyrrha, I'm sure I'll love it." He smiled.

* * *

The day of the dance was a busy one for the teens of team BRNY and JSPR. Both Weiss and Yang had gotten together in collaboration to arrange the dance since team CFVY, whom would have been organising the event, were still off on a mission outside of the kingdom. Ozpin had made the executive decision to appoint them to the organisational role. Although, it seemed that the two never could agree quite on what they wanted. Their personalities clashed on a base level and this showed in their work . Weiss seemed to be angling towards an elegant and classy event with flowing ball gowns and slow music for the couples to dance to, whereas Yang was trying to drag them into a much more relaxed party with giant speakers, lasers and fog machines. The two had met in the middle and taken the best aspects of both to create what seemed to be an interesting hybrid between the two polar opposites.

Yet finally after much planning and altogether too much bickering about doilies and song choices, the big day of their dance arrived. Two hours before the dance was even due to start, Jaune had been thrown firmly out of his dorm room and into the hallway with his tuxedo following shortly after. All of the girls from both BRNY and JSPR piled into the JSPR dorm room in order to get ready together leaving Jaune to find himself another place to prepare. With a sigh he headed across the hall and rapped his knuckles against the door of team BRNY's dorm. The door opened within moments and Ren's face peered around it at Jaune, he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"All the girls are getting ready across the hall in my dorm so I got thrown out. Mind if I change in there?" He explained with a slight smirk. Behind him excited voices could be heard shouting to one another even through the walls. To Jaune's relief Ren nodded and opened to door wide enough to let the blonde in.

Jaune stepped in and hung his tux on one of the closet door handles. Looking around he was surprised to find that the girls had stacked their beds one on top of the other to form makeshift and rather unstable looking bunk beds. Jaune chuckled and took a seat on one of the spare beds, given how messy the covers were, the blonde assumed it to be Yang's.

With little to do for the next couple of hours Jaune made himself comfortable, an easy silence settled over the room as Ren continued to go about his day, reading through one of the school's textbooks for nigh on an hour before deciding to go for a shower. Jaune felt grateful for his decision to shower right before the girls kicked him out, it was lucky if nothing else. It would leave him feeling fresh all the way through the dance.

Time passed unusually quickly for JSPR's leader. He sat on Yang's bomb site of a bed and thought carefully about the impending dance with growing trepidation. He knew that he would be expected to dance and that wasn't the problem, growing up with seven sisters had solved any issues in the dancing area. No, the problem remained in the fact that he was taking _the_ Pyrrha Nikos and that was no small thing. He was terrified of letting her down as her date, that he might not be able to dance in a way that she would enjoy. What if he choked up and ended up standing on her toes?

In truth he had no idea why he was getting so nervous, they were just friends after all. Partners, and nothing more. So why then did he have butterflies in his stomach, and why were his palms clamming up? It made no sense, in his head were a scramble of different thoughts and feelings. He shook himself free of them and put it down to nerves before one of the biggest social events of the year. He turned to Ren to try and take his mind off of it.

"So Ren, how long have you and Nora been a thing?" He asked casually.

"Oh, we're not an item. We're just close friends and always have been, ever since I can remember." He replied with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"Oh come on, I've seen the two of you together. You smile whenever you see her, and you look incomplete when she's not around. Even I know that there's got to be _something_ going on there. You like her don't you?"

"I-I uh.." The stoic stuttered. "I'll admit that my feelings for her aren't entirely platonic but I can't say anything out of fear that it might drive her away or ruin my friendship with her. In the end I would rather live on without ever told her my feelings, so long as I get to keep her as my friend.

"But Ren, I don't think she would go anywhere. If anything, I think she might feel the same for you. I mean, just look at the way she acts around you. She's _always_ at your side, whenever possible. You two have something special and I'm not entirely sure that its purely friendly. Either way, if it were me I'd tell her. Its better to try, find out and gain some kind of closure than to live on wondering what could have happened when it's too late to do anything about it."

"Thank you Jaune. You make a good point and I'll give it some consideration, but it will be a long time before I am ready to make a decision on the subject."

Before he knew it, it was time for him to get ready. With a sigh he took up his tuxedo and changed into it. Within ten minutes he was suited and booted, fighting with his bow tie. Ties had never been his strong point, horrible little neck-traps the lot of them. Even the clip on ties had caused him more trouble that they were worth when he was younger.

After having rearranged his hair in the bathroom mirror for what must have been the thousandth time he nodded half-heartedly, he was out of time and it would have to do. He only hoped that his date didn't think he had only made half an effort. Stepping out and across the hallway once again, he tugged at the bottom of his jacket and brushed off the dust from one of his shoulders. This was it. Ren closed the door to BRNY's dorm and stood behind him, giving the blonde a reassuring nod. Jaune took a steadying breath, reached out and knocked on the wood it opened a tiny bit and Yang's face snaked around and peered at them.

"You guys are early!" she replied hastily, her eyes widening at the sight of them.

"We're on time, the dance is meant to start in like ten minutes!" Jaune retorted.

She shot back behind the door and slammed it shut again. From the other side of the door the two boys could hear the occasional bumps or exclamation as the girls increased their pace and began to put the final touches to their outfits. It was still a further five minutes before the door opened again and a very flustered looking Yang stood blocking their view into the room. She blew a loose lock of hair out of her face and composed herself.

"Mr Ren, are you ready to meet Miss Valkyrie, your beautiful date for this evening? Cause heeeeere she is!" Yang announced and stepped aside to reveal Nora stood shyly behind her. She had donned a pink dress and heels. Her hair had been brushed rigorously and shone brightly like burnished copper. The Valkyrie looked down at her feet nervously under the eyes of her partner. Ren himself seemed quite taken aback by the sight, his usually impassive expression had been replaced by a slight smile. He held out his hand to her and she timidly walked over and took it, swaying a little in her heels. He gently clasped her hand in his own and blushed.

"Nora, you look beautiful." He said, a slight blush working across his face.

"T-thanks... You look great too" She replied, lacking her usual self confidence.

They linked arms and set off down the corridor together, enjoying some small talk between them. Jaune watched them go for a little while before turning back to look at Yang again. He raised an eyebrow expectantly and shot him a quick wink. Behind her, the knight could still hear the rustling of fabric. At last Yang turned back with an ear to ear grin and locked eyes with him.

"I hope you're ready for this Vomit-boy." She whispered. "Mr Arc, are you ready to meet your date, the wonderful and talented Miss Nikos?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." he chuckled, nerves bubbling up within him.

"Well, you had better be! Here she is!" Again, Yang stepped aside and behind her was a sight that made Jaune's heart skip a beat... or several.

For there, stood in the centre of the dorm room was Pyrrha and she looked beyond beautiful. To him it seemed as though one of the angels above had descended to earth and was stood in front of him. She had her hair tied over to one side so that it cascaded over her shoulder like a glorious waterfall of liquid fire and resting just above her brow was her golden circlet, polished brightly and catching the light.

Her dress itself was incredible, complementing her womanly figure perfectly. It was an elegant red number, trimmed with golden thread, that flowed down to her ankles with one side cut open to the mid thigh to allow her a little more freedom of movement. Her make-up seemed to follow her usual minimalistic approach, with only her usual green eyeliner complementing her viridian eyes. She blushed a little under his gaze as he stared slack-jawed, unable to move. His knees felt as though they were jelly and might give way underneath him at the slightest pressure.

"Psst! Jaune! Stop staring and offer the girl your arm!" Yang whispered. Jaune blushed brightly and clamped his mouth shut. He took a slight bow and offered her his hand. Pyrrha blushed but took some nervous steps over and took his hand. The feeling of her hand in his sent shivers down his spine.

"P-Pyrrha, you look... _Amazing_" He stammered, the butterflies in his stomach felt as though they were having some kind of butterfly rave with the worlds butterfly population having come along. His hands clammed up as she linked arms with him.

"Thank you Jaune, you look incredibly handsome this evening." She beamed back at him, her eyes sparkling brightly as she spoke. With their arms interlaced, the two of them slowly walked their way over to the school's grand ballroom where their dance awaited them. Looking at the girl beside him, Jaune was confident that not even the stars themselves could match her beauty. Unnoticed, a warm feeling bloomed within his heart. It was strange and alien yet undeniably there.

Behind him, leaning out of the door and watching after the two partners with a pang of jealousy was Ruby. The little rose sighed to herself and cast a quick look at her sister.

"How can I compete with that?" She asked, her eyes dimming as hope left her.

"What do you mean?" Yang answered, cocking an eyebrow at her little sister.

"Well look at her! You saw Jaune's face when she stepped out, he couldn't take his eyes off of her." Ruby cried, throwing her hands in the air.

"Rubes, look in a mirror. You look amazing too! When we get down there, you walk in with your head held high and I'll bet he comes to talk to you! Just you wait and see." The brawler said with a smile. She smoothed out her dress and took hold of sisters arm, interlocking it with her own and setting off towards the ballroom. The other girls fell into line behind them chatting excitedly about their upcoming night.

Ruby smiled to herself as she thought of what was to come. She hoped that Yang was right, would he really seek her out? That all remained to be seen. The petite rose took a steadying breath and her eyes began to glow with a new-found confidence.

_'Ready or not Jaune, here I come'_

* * *

**Ruby got her 'grr' face on, looks like this is one little rose that has thorns!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought in the reviews. As always, please do favourite and follow if you liked this. Your support really does help me write, you provide the inspiration that I need. You are all the best fans in the world, given that you have offered nothing but support, friendly advice and constructive criticisms.**

** Next time we see how the teams react to the dance, and a certain masqueraded intruder. The nefarious team CRME put their evil plans into action, how will team BRNY and JSPR cope and fight back? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Dragon ball... I mean 'A Rose for the Champion'!**


	10. A Cat, Burgler and the Dance

**Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter, It seems like forever since I last posted one but it's only been a week. This time round we actually get to see the dance itself. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Jaune's palms were sweaty and his knees weak as he slowly walked along with Pyrrha towards Beacon's grand ballroom. The moon sat lazily in the sky above, its shattered majesty shining brightly down upon the young students. Jaune took one look over at his date for the evening and his heart began to flutter. It was the same Pyrrha he knew and yet it simultaneously wasn't. She seemed far more relaxed than usual. She turned and locked eyes with him, nervous blue meeting intense green. To the blonde it felt as though his heart might explode out of his chest.

Behind them followed on a procession both of team BRNY, the remainder of his own team and a collection of other students. All of them congregated into a crowd as they made their way across the campus to the ballroom. Jaune was eager to see what Yang and Weiss had collectively wrought. As they passed through the huge columns the gigantic wooden doors swung open on silent hinges to reveal the interior.

It was the very epitome of elegance, as though Weiss had managed to put a bit of herself into the décor. White silken sashes hung draped from the upper balconies and swayed gently in the breeze that blew in through the door. There were a number of tables set out around the established dance floor, each and every one covered in a pure white tablecloths and set in the centre of them was a single doily shaped remarkably like the Schnee family crest. Weiss' calling card it would seem.

Yet Yang's influence was not completely out of the picture. She had affected the arrangements in her own free-spirit kind of way. The gigantic speakers currently used to play subtle and classical music were perhaps the most obvious. The low layer of fog covering the dance floor also proved to be a nice touch appreciated by all, as was the punch bowl in the corner. It was assumed to be alcoholic in nature given the flock of professors gathered around it including a glassy eyed Goodwitch.

Yang and Weiss high-fived one another proudly as they watched the assembled students gasp in appreciation of their work before taking up their positions on either side of the door in preparations for greeting the arriving students in person. Their final attempt to fully and indisputably stamp their names on the event. Jaune had to hand it to them both, they had set up an incredible venue and the way things were going, he had no doubt that it would be an incredible event that many would remember for years to come. It had the perfect proportions of both romance and boisterous fun about it.

Jaune and his friends made their way over to one of the tables and set their things down on the table top. Jaune took the opportunity to wipe his palms dry on his tuxedo before turning back to his partner, bowed and offering her his hand with his signature nervous Arc smile. The self-same smile that he had smiled during initiation when the two had first met all those weeks ago.

"Pyrrha, would you do me the honour of this dance?" He asked in his most chivalrous voice.

"Why of course Jaune. I would love to dance." She giggled and took his hand, heading out for the dance floor. It took Jaune a moment but the music soon crept into his heart and his body took over shifting to the beat he waltzed Pyrrha up and down the dance floor. The knight led her into elegant pirouettes and graceful dips. All the while he began to relax, his smile became more natural and dare he say it, he actually began to enjoy himself as they danced through song after song in their own little world.

From the side of the dance floor, two silver eyes watched enviously from beside the punch bowl. With trembling hands their owner sipped from her glass and watched yet another pirouette, wishing with all of her heart that she might replace the red-headed dancer. Draining her glass, Ruby half walked half staggered towards the exit to the balcony. She teetered around wildly on her heels bumping into various students and half-drunken professors (it would seem that Yang's punch was a little more potent that originally thought).

She took a sharp breath in as she stepped out onto the balcony and the evening chill caught her before she could quite prepare. She shivered a little and stepped over to lean on the rail and look out over the campus grounds. Ozpin's tower loomed out of the gloom, shining brilliantly with Emerald light. It was an image of serenity and of peace, one which she wished might never end.

"Hey Ruby, you look amazing tonight... I mean not that you don't look great every day, cause you do its just that tonight you look... Wow~" Jaune's voice rang out and tore the little reaper from her silent brooding with a start. She immediately back-pedalled over what he had said and blushed brightly when she realised the meaning behind his words.

"T-thanks Jaune..." She said with a smile.

"Your... uh... date isn't gonna get mad about me saying that is he?"

"I-um... I don't actually have a date..." She sounded almost ashamed as she stared down at her feet.

"But your the first year prodigy! Entrance into Beacon two years early! Guys must have been clambering over one another for the opportunity to take you to the dance, so where is he?" Jaune chuckled. His heart sank however when he caught the look in her eyes. They shone with a film of tears and he realised that she wasn't kidding.

"Ruby... I'm sorry I had no idea."

"I guess you were the only one I wanted to go with..." She sighed "I-I gotta go."

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she jogged away, barely holding it all in. She didn't know why she felt so emotional, it was inexplicable that after so many years of dedicating herself to her training with the single-minded determination for the day that she would one day graduate signal and qualify for Beacon. In all those years she had never taken a day off to even so much as consider boys so... why was it all happening now. She fled back to the punch bowl and fixed herself a drink to calm her nerves.

Back on the balcony Jaune was left in turmoil, he could only watch as she left and his gut wrenched itself into a tight knot of guilt. His heart had truly sunken seeing her alone on such an important night. He thought back to the night he had asked Pyrrha and remembered her reaction to him telling her that he had already asked his partner, he remembered his promise. With a sigh he steeled himself and made for the exit to head back to his dorms. On the way out he was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder. He snapped his head round and found himself staring straight into the cold ashen eyes of General Ironwood.

"Tired of the party young man?" he asked with suspicion rooted within his stern expression.

"No sir, I made a promise to my teammate. I'm just on my way to fulfil it."

"And what might that promise be?" the General cocked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I uh... I promised her that if she was without a date tonight... that I would wear a dress." He blushed.

"I see." Ironwood said with a smirk on his face. "And you are going to change?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well, carry on then." The General chuckled and released his shoulder. Jaune shivered a little and set off at a jog out of the the ballroom and back across campus to the dorms. He quickly swiped his scroll across the door's lock and entered. Striding over to his closet he pulled out a suit carrier and unzipped it. He looked over the contents with a slight sigh before heading to the bathroom to change.

* * *

Jaune shivered as he walked back to the ballroom, shivering as the cool evening air met with his legs. Just how girls could walk around in these thing without freezing to death he would never know. Still, a promise is a promise and as his dad had always told him growing up 'A man's word is his bond'. Those words reverberated in his head as he walked, nestling themselves in his heart and helping to keep him warm against the evening chill.

His dress fluttered softly in the breeze, a classical number that came to just above the knight's knee. It was a light cream colour and a large pink bow sat upon his waist. He had snuck over to ask Yang if he could borrow one of hers in the eventuality that Ruby might end up without a date. At first the brawler had failed to take him seriously but had relented in the end and even gone so far as to help him choose one that he had actually looked good in. After a few rapid adjustments with the help of the heiress, it was all ready to go.

Before long, he had crossed the campus once again and stood outside the ballroom. He took a couple of moments to compose himself, deep breaths to quell his ever increasing nerves. Was he really about to go into a room filled with at least half the school in a dress? A brief image of Ruby's face flashed through his mind and disabused him of any notion of backing out. He had come too far for that, he was in the dress and stood outside the ballroom. There was no backing out now. He steeled himself and walked into the ballroom.

All around him the couples stopped dead and looked at him with disbelief and amusement. Many laughed or sneered at him as he worked through the crowds but he couldn't see them, he had eyes for only one individual. He found her camping out the punch bowl, on her fourth glass of the punch. He strode over to her, followed by the sounds of laughter. Turning round to investigate the commotion, Ruby got her first glimpse of the dress wearing knight. Her eyes grew wide in shock as she took in the sight. The rose looked at him for a few moments, held entirely by shock before shock gave way to amusement when all at once, she burst out into a fit of giggles.

The sudden sound of her laughter was so unexpected that it gave him a start. Her giggles soon deepened into full blown laughter until she had tears streaming down her face and she was doubled over. She laughed and laughed for a good few minutes solid, every time it seemed as though she might have made it through the worst of it and finally be about to calm down again she would take a fresh look at him and start up laughing again.

A whole fifteen minutes had passed before she finally regained a modicum of control over herself again. Her lungs burned as they begged for oxygen and her hands trembled with suppressed energy. She looked at him for a moment, having relatively accustomed to his visage. A single question bounced around in her head.

"Why?" she chuckled.

"Because Ruby, I made a promise that if you came to this dance alone that I would come in a dress and dance with you and an Arc never goes back on his word." He responded proudly and puffed his chest out proudly.

"I didn't think you were serious!" she cried "Where did you even get the dress from?!"

"Yang..." he shrugged.

"Yang was in on this?! I swear I'm going to get her back for thi-"

"Do you want to stand there and rant about Yang or do you wanna dance with me?"

"Of course I wanna dance I just... I cant dance..." She sighed dejectedly. She was stopped though by him lifting her face to look him straight in the eyes. He smiled warmly to her.

"Ruby, that's alright. We can take it nice and slowly. I'll lead you, what do you say?"

She thought for a moment, staring into his cobalt eyes in wonder. Had he really gone to so much effort on her account? It seemed almost too surreal to be true. Not in all her life had someone, especially a boy, gone to such extremes to make her happy and in that instant, her emotions were set and the direction of her heart revealed in truth to her. This oblivious blonde would be hers.

She took his hand and followed on in trepidation and anticipation as he led her into the centre of the dance floor. He bowed low to her before taking her hand and leading her into a waltz around the dance floor. She stepped in close and despite stepping on his toe three times, he did begin to get better. She fell into the ebb and flow of the music, her feet soon learned their place at certain points and before all that long Jaune had her twirling and dipping along with him just as she had envied Pyrrha at the start of the night. In truth she found that dancing wasn't completely worlds apart from fighting.

"That's it Ruby, you're getting the hang of it now!" Jaune encouraged her as he sent her into a string of twirls. She grinned rather proudly and danced her way back over to him to carry on dancing laps around the floor. The crowds formed a large oval for the two teammates to watch them dance. As the music changed tempo, so did they. Together they danced a wide variety of dances from ballroom to Latin and back again yet still onward they moved with dogged persistence until at last, through mutual consensus the two teenagers retired to their table and collapsed onto their chairs with a sigh, their chests were heaving after such an exhausting few minutes. For a few minutes all was silent between the two dancers as they caught their breath and drank a little bit of water from the table's water pitcher.

"I would never have chosen you for a dancer Jaune." Ruby managed to say in between her ragged breaths.

"Well, I grew up in a house with seven sisters, they were brutal at times. One day they decided to set up a bit of a dance in my home's living room. Of course they all had to have dates so I was unfortunately the one that had to escort them. But in order for them to have the kinds of dates they wanted, my oldest sister had decided that she couldn't have a date if I couldn't dance, so they spend a painful afternoon of learning for me. With my sisters their attitude was very sink or swim. I guess fortunately I swam." He chuckled.

* * *

Blake finished her dance with Yang and smiled, she really did need this. After so long without any real sleep, meals or down-time it felt really good to kick back and relax. She made her way over to the punch bowl and fixed herself a glass, she took a sip and was surprised to find it so refreshing after nigh on an hour solid of dancing. In truth the faunus had no idea how Yang could do it. After the first dance she had been in need of a sit down and some rest yet the brawler had kept going.

Laughter erupted from the centre of the dance floor tearing Blake out of her musings. Her golden eyes grew wide in shock at what she saw, or thought she saw... It had to be an hallucination surely, brought about by the exertion of having danced for so long, but if that was the case why was everyone laughing? She closed her eyes for a few and took a couple of deep breaths before opening them again. Nope, it was definitely real. There in front of her very eyes, was Jaune in a dress dancing the tango with Ruby.

A giggle flew from her lips at the sight. It was just so unexpected that her fellow leader should don a dress simply to please his teammate for the dance. It was admirable in a way, that he would be willing to embarrass and make a laughing stock of himself for the sake of his friend. Ruby had told them about their agreement of course but she had never really granted any credence to it until now. It seemed the Arc truly was a man of his word.

After a fair few minutes of laughing, Blake finally adjusted to the visage in front of her. With a contented sigh she stepped out through the doors and into the night. The air held a certain chill that perfectly contrasted that of the ballroom. Her breath fogged up into great clouds that swirled around before floating up into the sky and dissipating again. It was wonderful, the stars were all out and shining brightly. She sighed, sending another wisp of cloud into the sky and looked out over the campus.

On one of the roofs across the campus she caught a flash of movement. Focusing over in its direction she could make out a woman in an entirely black catsuit leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Blake might have assumed her to be a common thief had she not had two large black swords slung across her back. She narrowed her eyes and set off in pursuit, she darted from shadow to shadow and maintained a safe distance. It wouldn't do to be spotted now. Fortunately, it was dark enough that only a faunus would be able to spot her at this distance and while Blake was confident that this intruder wasn't a faunus, she was taking no chances. Blake was grateful that she had not followed Yang's idea and dressed in white, her dress served now only to help her blend in.

The rooftop runner led her all the way across Beacon's expansive campus and straight to the Cross Continental Transmit tower... curiosity grew within Blake's heart alongside dread. Why would the intruder come here? More importantly where was she? The faunus' golden eyes glowed as she scanned the grand entrance to the tower and fell upon the prone body of a soldier. Any curiosity was swept away. There could be no doubt that the mystery woman couldn't possibly have been here for anything benign and the chances of her being a common thief had just hit zero.

Blake grabbed her scroll and dialled her rocket-locker in. Within moments she could see it streaking across the sky before it plowed into the ground in front of her. The paving slabs cracked on impact. The locker door sprung open to reveal Gambol Shroud sat in its weapon rack. She sauntered over and took her weapon, wrapped the ribbon around her forearm and turned back to face the Cross Continental Transmit with fire burning in her eyes. Yang would be proud.

She made her way slowly up the steps and into the central hub of Vale's world wide communications network. The ground floor held banks of terminals and swivel chairs at which the operators would work. A central column held the tower's elevator. Cautiously, Blake edged her way up to the elevator and summoned it. The doors opened with the visage of two soldiers lying unconscious and slumped against each other with happy smiles on their faces. BRNY's leader rolled her eyes and dragged the two soldiers out of the elevator and into the operations room. She left the slumped against a terminal before taking the elevator up to the main communications floor since that seemed the logical place to start.

The doors opened and Gambol Shroud left its sheath, better to be safe than sorry after all. The faunus edged out of the lift with her weapon ready to block an incoming strike. This mystery woman had proven that she was hostile through her treatment of the guards so it simply wouldn't do to throw caution to the wind now. Her fingers adjusted and then readjusted their grip on the hilt of her black steel katana.

"Hello? Is there anyone here?" She called out and took a few steps into the seemingly empty room, only the bleeping of the terminals answered her. In fact, she was just about to turn and board the elevator when a woman garbed entirely in black stood up from behind the administrations desk. Blake's eyes narrowed as the intruder took a few steps forward towards her. Blake backed up and levelled Gambol Shroud at her, the thin point of its blade hovering at chest height.

"You aren't supposed to be in here." The faunus said in her most commanding voice.

"Perhaps not, and yet here we are..." Came the mysterious woman's answer. Her voice was cold and yet silky smooth. It chilled Blake to her very bones, set her on edge and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Blake opened her mouth to speak but before she could utter so much as a single syllable the intruder drew her twin swords and launched her self in Blake's direction.

Blake left a clone and threw herself back by the sudden nature of her foe's attack. That was the final straw. The faunus threw herself into the fray, swinging her sword in calculated strikes to force her enemy onto the retreat, yet no matter how many times Blake swung the mysterious woman always seemed to be one step ahead. She dodged every one of the leader's attacks with what seemed to be ease and an amused, smug grin on her face before following up with an attack of her own to keep Blake at a distance. It seemed to be nothing more than a game to her as they wove their deadly dance in between the terminals. Blake kept her eyes locked on those of her opponent, they were chilling and burned with a fierce intensity the likes of which the faunus had never seen, even after years with the White Fang.

Seemingly having had enough, the woman raised one of her swords and caught Gambol Shroud solidly on the blade. Her weapon seemed to morph itself around the katana like a liquid before solidifying around the blade and locking it in place. Her eyes widened in horror as she knew she was caught. The woman wrenched Gambol Shroud from her grasp and threw it across the room, with a grin of triumph she brought her knee straight up and into Blake's stomach.

The faunus doubled over with a low groan of pain as stars danced before her eyes before taking a series of punches to the face and the side of her head. Through a haze of pain she heard her nose break accompanied by a wave of pain so intense that it sent her sprawling to the ground dazed. She coughed up globules thick with blood, staining the carpet. Through a blur of pain the faunus looked up and into the eyes of the intruder, they burned with a malice hitherto unseen by the young faunus.

Yet Blake wasn't done yet, even when she seemed to be at the mercy of this fiend, she wasn't about to give up. She leapt to her feet and lunged at the catsuit-clad stranger in an attempt to tackle her to the ground. Unfortunately her senses were still a little addled and her enemy lazily sidestepped out of the way. Before Blake could try again, an insurmountable pressure could be felt on her back, pinning her to the ground. She froze in terror as she felt the woman's remaining sword rest against the back of her neck, the point of its blade digging into her flesh ever so slightly, though not enough to draw blood.

"Well, well, my little heroine. Looks like this is the end of the line for you." She said, her voice going straight through the trapped faunus and setting her teeth on edge. This was a moment she had long since been preparing for. Being in the White Fang had accustomed her to the idea of her own death. By no means did she desire it, but neither did it hold any real fear for her anymore. Her only regret was not having been able to do more for the faunus movement. She had at least hoped to see an improvement through peaceful methods. Tears welled up in her eyes as she awaited the end.

Quite suddenly she heard the sound of the elevator door opening with a hiss. As it did, the pressure was gone from her back. Though she seemingly didn't leave without saying goodbye, she drew the point of her sword across the base of her neck nicking the skin and drawing a single bead of blood. It burned against her skin and tickled as it spilled over and rolled down her neck and dripped onto the floor beside her.

She raised her head weakly and looked over to the elevator with bleary eyes. To see a man dressed entirely in white. The figure walked over to her and gradually came into focus, showing him to be General Ironwood. Firm yet gentle hands checked her for injury and slowly helped her into the sitting position, the drops of blood from her neck staining his glove.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I-I think so..." She groaned, her throat felt like sandpaper.

"I know you're hurt but do you think you can tell me what happened here."

"T-there was a woman dressed in black... she was doing... something in here when I got here and then we fought, she disarmed me... Her sword flowed like water but was solid. S-she was about to kill me when you got here..." Tears welled up in the eyes of the faunus. The General gave her a reassuring squeeze, gentle enough so as not to hurt her further but enough to emphasise his presence.

"It's alright, you're safe now. She's gone. We're going to call the medical staff in, I can't see any major injuries but I'd like to have the doctors look you over just to be sure. I'd like to speak with you about this once you feel able. But for now I'd like you to just try and relax." His voice was comforting and strong yet held an air of ingrained professionalism. From within his pocket the General drew his scroll and tapped a few buttons before holding it to his ear. The conversation was a brief one, he simply stated where they were, the assistance he would need and a brief description of what he gauged her injuries to be.

Beacon's paramedics were with them within five minutes. With great care they lifted her up and onto a stretcher and wheeled her away. The faunus couldn't help but grit her teeth in pain as the adrenaline left her system. The paramedics soon saw to that, giving her a small dose of morphine to dull the pain. It was a strange feeling as her whole body began to feel numb and fuzzy. The most daunting aspect was when she lost the ability to operate her limbs properly. Everything seemed so surreal and blurred together as she was wheeled away to the school's infirmary. One thing was for certain; when Yang found out there would be all hell to pay, and nothing would prevent the brawler from collecting.

* * *

The General remained on the communications floor of the CCT for a long while after he had watched the young girl stretchered away. He walked his way around looking over the various signs of combat, pausing for a long while over each one to take a photograph and jot down all the details in his scroll with both military precision and accuracy. It seemed so extreme that an enemy of the kingdom would strike at so strong a target during an influx of military personnel. The fact that hidden enemies were striking at them so unabashed actually frightened him. It could only mean one thing in his eyes, they were working towards something big and it was going to happen soon.

He thought back to the injured student's story and pondered her words carefully, searching for any potential clues hidden within them. He hadn't wanted to press her too hard for details given the severity of her injuries, but once the doctors had declared her fit he would be seeing her again for a more in-depth explanation.

The final piece of evidence he documented was her lost weapon. It was found some distance away from where the two women had been fighting and intrigued him. Wrapped seamlessly around the blade of the unfortunate student's katana was a second sword. He photographed it and picked it up for a closer inspection. The material from which it was made was unlike anything that he had seen before. It was black as pitch and composed of what appeared to be tiny crystals the likes of which only came in the form of one substance, dust. He scratched some off with a finger and scanned it with a small device from his pocket. It bleeped for a few moments before displaying a read out of its identification details and chemical composition. It proved to be a rare kind of dust only found in a particular region of the Atlesian mountains, it proved most useful when used as a conduit for aura. By channelling one's aura into it, it can be manipulated with a fluidity rarely seen, it had proved stable enough to be forged into a variety of weapons. However, for someone to get hold of enough to produce the weapon would prove financially ruinous, although it was not entirely unheard of.

Taking the weapon with him, the General made to leave. Giving the room one last fleeting glance he hit the button and began the descent to the ground floor, still studying the unusual dust weapon. No sooner had the doors closed and he disappeared from view that the computer at the administrations desk powered up, its screen a blank green. All around the room, the computers powered up and lit up a solid green colour. The gloom was permeated by the eerie green glow of the computer monitors, and then all as one an image faded into view, slowly and fuzzy at first but soon gaining definition until at last there was displayed a single queen chess piece.

Cinder sauntered back into the ballroom with a confident spring in her step. She cast away her mask and with a wave of her hand changed her catsuit into an elegant black and gold dress. Sifting through the crowds she found her fellow conspirators and cut in on their moment. She danced with an amused smirk as those around her danced on without any idea of what would be about to happen within a matter of days, after all... Phase three had begun.

* * *

**There it was, for the next couple of chapters I plan on introducing the characters of team BRNY in a little more detail and add a little more depth to their characters. I hope that you enjoy the next couple of chapters even as I enjoy writing them.**

**Let me know what you thought of the chapter in the reviews, if you like this fic then please do favourite or follow, updates every Monday. For those of you that don't know, I AM CONTEMPLATING RECRUITING A BETA READER, so if you are wanting to apply, please PM me about the role.**

**Thank you all very much for reading and as always; I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	11. A Faunus?

**Hello again everyone and welcome back! This chapter is pretty BRNY heavy because I wanted to draw both teams into the story properly, improving on one of the failings of 'The Sword and Spear', so without any further ado I present to you all the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

All hell had broken loose, the entire campus shook violently under the unrestrained rage of Yang. Her eyes glowed red, and her treasured blonde hair flickered and shimmered with small pockets of flame. The moment she had noticed the absence of her partner and leader a pit of worry had formed in her stomach. At first she had played it down to Blake most likely having stepped out for some fresh air but as time wore on her concern grew. When, by the end of the night, the stoical girl hadn't returned concern turned into blind worry. The blonde brawler had gone around the remaining guests and interrogated them fiercely as to her partner's whereabouts but no-one could recall having seen her.

In the end it was Ozpin that had been the one to let them know. He had pulled the vivacious blonde over to one side and told her in hushed tones of her partner's fate. That was it, the moment that everything had kicked off. Yang's anger had taken over and judging by the look in her eyes she wanted little more than to find the one whom had harmed her partner and indeed, hospitalised her. It had taken all of team JSPR as well as Nora and Ren to hold her in place and prevent her from completely going off the rails. Even the enigmatic headmaster seemed taken aback by the extent and ferocity of her anger and to those paying close enough attention, his stance changed and his grip on his cane tightened. In an instant he had composed himself and returned to his regular impassive state. The huntsman offered his sincere condolences and taken his leave.

Yang had led the charge to the infirmary, her long golden locks billowing behind her as she ran. Team JSPR and the remainder of BRNY were left to follow in her wake. The infirmary was the most modern looking wing of the combat school due to the need to continually update the facility to provide the very best care to injured students. It looked entirely out of place among the rustic setting of its surroundings, an alien in plain sight and yet it held its own unique charms. The brawler barrelled into the reception and with determination burning in her eyes demanded the room number of her partner. The receptionist on duty took one look at the formidable blonde before handing over the details.

Barging into the small hospital room, despite the various protestations of several nurses, although one look at Yang told them that it wasn't worth trying to stop her. There they found Blake, asleep in the hospital bed dressed in the traditional gown. Bruises covered her face in varying shades from purple through to a putrid yellow, her aura seemingly already at work. The blonde hurried her way over to the seat at the bedside of her partner and seized the hand of her wounded partner with tears forming in her eyes. The blonde caressed it with all the tenderness that a mother would show a newborn child. At least she did before she noticed something that gave her pause. She froze in place, eyes wide with shock and staring in confusion. Not long after, the rest of the gang caught up. They entered the room to find a sedated Blake and a totally zoned-out Yang, completely unresponsive and zoned out. Gradually each of the teenagers followed her dead stare and one by one they too came to realise what The stoical girl was missing her usual bow and in its place was a set of... cat ears?

"A...faunus?" Yang finally said, having processed the fact at last. She let drop the hand of the newly-discovered faunus and sat back in her chair, still coming to terms with what must have been Blake's biggest secret for her to hide the fact so well for so long. It seemed so incomprehensible and strange that the girl she had considered to be her best friend would keep such a massive secret from her yet she must have had her reasons, everyone had secrets after all. Tearing her eyes from the injured faunus she looked around to the faces of each of her friends individually.

"No-one is to breathe a word of this..." She uttered in a low voice, so quietly that the gathered teens could barely hear her. Ruby knew that what such a tone meant from her sister, it meant that she was deadly serious and that anyone fool enough to defy her wishes would be putting themselves at risk of retribution from the blonde. It was a tone she had heard many times in her youth and one that she had rightly learned to fear as Yang had brought her up. Looking around she saw four of the five others nod their assent, after all Blake was their friend regardless of whether she was human or not. Only Weiss remained impassive although her eyes betrayed her true emotions Ruby could see a sea of seething resentment angled at the unconscious faunus, though why remained a mystery.

"Why?" That single word fell from the heiress' mouth like a leaden weight. It was filled with an animosity that Ruby had never once expected to hear from her partner. The gathered teens turned to face her with mixed reactions, expecting an explanation from her. When one was not forthcoming Yang climbed to her feet and stepped up to the diminutive Schnee and squared off, her red eyes flaring dangerously. It was an intimidating sight to be sure yet Weiss didn't waiver. She stood resolute, eyes locked on those of the taller girl, staring what seemed to be an unstoppable force right in the face without any sign of intimidation nor backing down. It was admirable to say the least.

"What did you just did you just say?" she asked, her voice filled with venom.

"I said why? Why should we keep her secret? Who knows what kind of things she did before coming here, what if she is a member of the white Fang?!"

Ruby caught the slight twitch of Yang's hand and had to dart forward to intervene. She shot over to her in a cloud of rose petals and grabbed her sister's hand. Ruby had learned in her sparring sessions with the blonde bombshell that such a twitch usually signalled when she was about to take a swing and that was the last thing that they needed. Yang looked down at her sister and straight into her bright eyes. Ruby gave her a pleading look, a look which spoke volumes without the need for audible words. The blonde's eyes faded back to lilac although they lost none of their intensity, nor the contempt that they held for the duellist.

"Whatever, she's not worth it." Yang grunted before returning to her vigil at Blake's bedside. Weiss was seemingly less contented by such a resolution. Her hands balled up into tiny fists at her sides and trembling violently with barely suppressed rage. She simply couldn't understand how they were all taking such a revelation so calmly.

"How can you all be so calm?! She lied to us! All of us." She shrieked.

"Yes Weiss, she did. But right now none of that matters. What _does_ matter is that we are all here when she wakes up. Having animalistic appendages does not change anything. She is still the girl that we are all friends with. So she chose to conceal her true nature, Blake will have had her reasons and we shouldn't be so hasty to jump to conclusions without knowing the truth behind her reasoning." To the surprise of all it was Ren who spoke up, providing the voice of reason for them all, much to Weiss' chagrin. She shot daggers at them all before turning on her heel and stomping out of the room.

"You'll see her for who she really is when she wakes up!" She shouted back over her shoulder as she stormed out. Ruby made to follow but was held back by a gentle pressure on her arm. Turning back in confusion she found that it was Jaune holding her back, she looked at him with a questioning glance and curiosity etched onto her face.

"Let her go Rubes. She needs some time to blow off steam and come to terms with this." He explained. The rose nodded and took her place among the others as they gathered round the faunus' bed with concerned and grave expressions, collectively willing her to recover quicker. In truth they all saw her secret in different ways.

Ren viewed it analytically in many ways and understood why she might want to keep such a secret given the human attitude to the faunus and the manner in which they are persecuted. It seemed logical that she might wish to conceal her heritage and thus avoid confrontation with the various members of the combat academy.

Nora and Ruby didn't care much for the implications of it all. Rather they simply saw her as the same Blake that they always had only now with the addition of cat ears which both thought to be extraordinarily cute and both girls were already planning their requests for ear touching rights.

Jaune viewed it with a relaxed ease, growing up he had been an outcast among the human children in his village due to his lack of combat prowess. His childhood had proven a sad and lonely existence until one day he was sat alone, under a tree reading his favourite book. The other human children saw him and made their way over, taking his book and grinding it into the mud. He had thrown himself at the other boys and immediately been outmatched, tears streaming down his cheeks at their bullying. Fortunately a nearby group of faunus children heard his cries of distress and rushed to his aid. The bullies had seen them approach and scattered leaving the young Jaune on his hands and knees looking in anguish over the ruined and torn pages of his book. The faunus children helped him up and took him home. After seeing the manner in which the other human children had discriminated against him, they had gradually accepted him as one of their own and invited him to join in on their games. Over time they had developed into his closest friends and had grown up with him, they had stood resolute time and time again with him against his bullies even as he had against theirs. The truth of the matter was that Jaune owed a great deal to the faunus, they had given him a sense of purpose. The fact that Blake was a faunus didn't bother him in the slightest, rather he saw her with a sense of pity at having had to conceal her true nature from all of her friends.

Pyrrha viewed it as a simple affair. As far as she saw it, the young faunus was still the same old grumpy stoic that she had always been and was still just as lovable regardless of whether she had human or cat ears. In fact, though she would never admit it, the cat ears were incredibly cute and just like both Ruby and Nora she had a strong desire to touch them since they looked so very soft.

Yang simply didn't care at all. Blake being a faunus didn't matter to her. All that _did_ matter was helping her get better and back onto her feet before their upcoming mission. She was their leader, they needed her just as much as Blake needed her team and regardless of her background the brawler would be there for her partner.

* * *

The heiress thundered straight out of the room and down the hall, shooting her icy glare at any of the medical staff that got too close to her. She just couldn't understand how her friends could prove so calm when it turned out that Blake, a girl they had all trusted had been deceiving them. She was a faunus! Weiss internally chastised herself on such a lapse in her composure, she knew that had her father seen such an outburst it would have resulted in several hours of corrective lessons...

In truth she was unsure of how to react to such a discovery so she allowed her mind to wander just as she did with her feet. In her head she tussled with the dilemma, on the one hand she liked Blake, the girl was pleasant enough to talk to when you could pry her from her books and it was clear that she was intelligent enough and cared for her studies. Yet on the other she was a faunus and that word was one which Weiss had always associated with trouble. Ever since she had been very little she had seen family friends disappear and board members murdered. That had, of course, made for a rather... uncomfortable childhood.

Perhaps it was from these negative life experiences that her contempt for the faunus stemmed. Perhaps it was due to groups like the White Fang and their actions that she had come to fear and resent the faunus, labelling them as rapscallions and degenerates. Was it really so hard to understand her trepidation and fears then, when a person whom had presented themselves as human had emerged to be faunus?

Yet she couldn't help but wonder whether it was wrong to tar them all with the same brush due to the actions of a select few. The majority of the faunus labour had never presented a threat to her nor her family. It was only a handful of radicals whom had taken it upon themselves to strike at those in power, the rich tycoons and bigots. A few rotten apple spoils the bunch it would seem. Yet it was undeniable that those few stood out far more than those of the peaceful majority, it was those few that she was under constant threat from.

She struggled with her mental Rubik's cube of emotions, thoughts and feelings. It all broiled together in her mind in a raging tempest which, the more she tried to navigate her way through, the more violent the thought storm would grow until her head ached. She couldn't help but wonder if she might ever untangle the mess of thoughts and feelings that her brain had become. She hauled herself out of her musings and cast a glance at her surroundings.

She was of course surprised to find herself atop the same hill she had been all those months ago when Jaune had been made their leader. Although on this night it lacked the warmth and pleasant breeze that it had that afternoon, rather instead, it was cold, dark and lonely.

_'Ironic. It more or less sums up the way I feel.'_ She thought with a wry smile

She took a seat on the bench carved from the tree itself, the selfsame bench that Ozpin had convinced her to give Jaune a fair chance to prove himself a leader. Weiss shivered slightly as once again she turned inwards for a solution to her dilemma. Over and over Ozpin's words played in her head and while the words themselves didn't really apply to her current situation, the thought and overall moral message behind them did. Perhaps she was a little too quick to jump to conclusions. Maybe it would prove a better idea if she did listen to Blake's story before passing her judgement, it was simply that she was scared of what the faunus might say. She would have to face her fears once she woke up and that wasn't a time that she was looking forward to.

* * *

Blake's awakening had hardly been a gracious one, her whole body felt as though a train had hit it with aches and pains in places she hadn't known existed. No sooner had she opened her eyes than Yang had enveloped her into a tight hug that sent lances of pain stabbing through her. The blonde had only released her after several hisses and groans of pain. Golden eyes scanned round the room to find all of her friends, still dressed in the formal attire of the school's dance. It was shortly after that she realised that she was missing her signature black bow and that her ears were on full display. At that moment she had felt like running, running as long an hard as she could, to escape what she was sure would be inevitable judgemental stares from her friends, yet her damaged body kept her where she was. It proved a pleasant surprise then, when such stares weren't forthcoming. Rather they all seemed to look at her with something akin to expectancy. Though what they expected she couldn't work out.

"What?" She asked after a long while of blankly returning their stares. The silence was maddening, making for an unusual change for her.

"Why?" Yang replied bluntly, though her eyes were soft and filled with sympathy.

"You all want to know why I kept it a secret?" She asked, it was a mere formality. In the depths of her heart she knew this moment would always come. She just wished that it might not have come so soon, she didn't want to lose her friends so soon after making them. Still, they didn't seem angry so perhaps it would all be okay after all?

"I'm sorry I kept such a secret from you all. I guess I didn't want to just be seen as another good for nothing faunus, someone to be mocked, jeered at and discriminated against. When I make a name for myself I want it to be because of my deeds rather than because I was one faunus that did good things. I wanted people to appreciate me for _who_ I am and not _what_ I am. I knew that a lot of humans here wouldn't be willing to accept me as a faunus and would try to alienate me from everyone else. I didn't want to place that strain on whoever I ended up in a team with. A-also because I wanted to make up for everything I did with the white fang..."

Every face in the room dropped in shock at her final statement.

"I-I'm not with them anymore!" She protested, tears forming in her eyes at the recollection of so many memories. "I was with them when I was much, much younger. Back when they were a peaceful organisation and all working for the equality between the humans and faunus. I turned my back on them when I saw what they were becoming, I refused to use my skills to aid them in a violent campaign of retaliatory hatred. So here I am... A criminal hiding in plain sight, all with the help of a little. Black. Bow."

She finished and sighed slightly, it felt strangely good to finally share her burden after so many months of carrying it, permanently afraid of being caught out and exiled. With a nervous expression she watched the faces of her friends, some were more impassive and difficult to read whilst others proved like an open book to her. The silence lasted for a couple of minutes as they each digested and processed what she had just said though to Blake it felt like an eternity. Jaune was the first to speak.

"I don't think the part about the White Fang matters... You say that you left them because they got too radical and in my books that means that you don't agree with hurting innocents and that means you're okay. Being faunus doesn't make you any different from us humans, it just means you have cuter ears and can see in the dark and that's awesome." He said with a grin.

"He's right." Yang agreed, waving it all off in her traditional style. "You're one of us, a little thing like this isn't gonna change anything, you're still our friend."

Visible tears began to fill the faunus' eyes as she listened to her friends' words. Never had she dared hope that they might prove to be so accepting of her. It filled her with Joy then, to hear them react so positively. She turned to face both Nora and Ruby who walked toward her bed side, their hands clasped together in front of their chests. They both looked far more nervous than usual.

"Blakey~" Nora began.

"Nora and I have been talking and well... we were wondering..." Ruby continued

"Can we touch your ears!?" Nora burst out, seemingly unable to contain her excitement. Blake looked at them in shock for a few moments as she considered their request. An amused smile crossed her features, of course Ruby and Nora would ask that. With a brief chuckle she shrugged, her ears twitching at the idea of having someone make actual physical contact with them.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Just please... be gentle. They are sensitive."

For a moment it looked as though both of the girls might die from excitement as they jolted forward. Blake expected a rough touch and braced herself for impact when they stopped dead and reached out with only a finger each. Both girls gasped at how soft these extra appendages were.

"Its so soft..." Ruby cooed.

"Alright... I'll give. Let me get in on this." Yang said reaching in and gently brushing her thumb against Blake's ears. She paused and her eyes widened in surprise, they were warm and velvety to the touch in a way she certainly hadn't expected. Blake blushed as one by one, her friends stepped up to her bedside to touch her ears and live the hype for themselves. Their collective moment was brought to an end however by a soft 'humph' sound from the doorway. Seven pairs of eyes all shot over to the source of the sound to find Weiss stood in the doorway looking rather sheepish for once. Yang shot her a glare, if looks could kill one might have expected the Ice Queen to melt and boil instantaneously.

"What do you want?" the blonde demanded with a clear air of hostility.

"I admit I might have been a little too... hasty earlier. I took some time to clear my head and come to terms with it... I guess I came back to hear her side of the story..."

Blake paused for a long while, thinking how best to respond. Weiss was of course, a Schnee. Perhaps the most infamous family to the faunus rights movement and undoubtedly she would have been influenced against the faunus. Patting Yang on the hand reassuringly Blake hauled herself painfully into the sitting position and made herself comfortable. She repeated her story to the heiress, holding back little and placing emphasis on her reasoning both for joining the White Fang and why she left them. The whole while Weiss listened impassively, her expression inscrutable although she did noticeably tense up when Blake revealed her former connections to the faunus rights movement turned terrorist organisation.

The faunus finished recounting her tale. Silence settled over the room as all eyes turned to the diminutive heiress as they awaited her reaction. You could have cut the tension with a knife. It was a full, nerve-racking five minutes before anyone said anything. It was Weiss whom spoke first, the cogs of her mind finally falling silent.

"You... promise you aren't a member of the White Fang anymore?" She asked slowly as though she was still contemplating her words.

"I promise, I haven't been one of them for many years now." Blake answered.

"T-then I suppose I am willing to go out on a limb and... give you the benefit of the doubt but only because you are a friend." the heiress continued. As she finished the whole room breathed a collective sigh of relief, glad than any potential feud between them had been avoided. There was no telling just how violent that might have gotten.

"Why? Why the sudden change of heart? I mean only a little while ago you were acting like this was the worst thing that could possibly have happened. What changed your mind?" Yang demanded suspiciously, not being one to take things lying down.

"I... remembered the words that a wise old man said to me a couple of months ago... He told me that I should give Jaune a chance as the leader of my team and that proved to be good advice. So I figured that if it worked once it might work a second time." She sighed.

"Thank you Weiss... I-" Blake began

"Just don't prove me wrong..." The Schnee interrupted. After such a reconciliation between the two girls, the atmosphere within the hospital room became much more bearable for them. Not long after, Jaune rounded up his team, somehow managing to pull Ruby away from the faunus' cat ears and led them out of the room to give Blake some time alone with their team. Ren and Nora followed suit shortly after, electing to give the two partners some time alone with one another once they had ensured Blake's health. Once they were alone the room settled into silence, the blonde looking at her partner with soft lilac eyes.

"You had me worried there Blakey..." she said at last. When you went missing I was getting ready to tear Beacon apart looking for you." The brawler spoke in a hushed and trembling voice, the depths of her concern clear for all to see as tears welled up in her eyes. "A-and when Ozpin told us that you were in the infirmary, I-I was so scared. I don't know what I would've done if you'd..." Blake cut her off by placing a long slender finger to her lips. It was a simple gesture yet powerful all the same.

"Yang, don't worry yourself about what might have happened and instead worry about what did. I'm still around aren't I? It'll take a lot more than this for me to be out for the count." Blake said reassuringly. The blonde leant in and gently wrapped her arms around the stoic and buried herself into Blake's shoulder, tears rolling down her cheeks and staining the faunus' hospital gown. Blake smiled and could do little more than rock them back and forth comfortingly, rubbing her back to sooth her. Though she didn't let on to the fact, the blonde had the biggest heart of them all, and she wore it on her sleeve.

* * *

JSPR walked back through the night at a relaxed pace. Their conversations were idle and without any real substance given how long their day had been. Though they all agreed that they had had quite enough excitement for one day. Pyrrha carried Ruby on her back in piggy-back fashion, the strains and pressures of the night having finally taken their toll and tired the little reaper out. Ruby snored adorably as she dozed on the champion's back. Pyrrha didn't mind, despite her suspicions that Ruby might be out for the same prize as she was, they were still teammates after all and the camaraderie would still be there regardless.

"I'm proud of you Weiss." Jaune said in a low voice as he walked up alongside the heiress. He spoke just loud enough for her to be the only one that might hear him.

"What do you mean?" she replied sounding far more harsh than she intended.

"I mean I'm proud of you. I know it can't have been easy to accept something like that. You've come a long way since initiation." He smiled.

"T-thank you Jaune..." She replied a slight blush on her cheeks. She threw her arms around the knight in a brief hug as they walked, knowing that their team would be all the more close to one another hereafter. They continued walking to their dorm and turned in for the night with a brighter outlook and greater hope for the future. Unaware that far to the south east, events were being set irreversibly in motion by those same people that Blake had once called 'friend'.

* * *

**So there we are. I tried to address the issue of Blake's heritage and how her team might have reacted to it. I apologise for the way that Weiss was written for this chapter, I struggle to write her in this sort of situations but I am trying my best with her. If you liked the chapter let me know in the reviews. As always please do favourite and follow for updates when each subsequent chapter is published.**

**I would also like to apologise for the relative lack of Pyrrha, Jaune and Ruby in this chapter. I wanted to focus it more on Blake and Yang, as well as their relationship as partners. I might write some bumblebee into this one if you all think that might be a good idea. Let me know if you would like to see that happen.**

**Thank you all so much for helping this story reach 200 followers. It is a truly incredible feeling to see that this is almost as popular as The Sword and Spear when it isn't even half way towards being finished. You really do make everything worthwhile when I write this, your feedback is truly appreciated.**

**Next time; Missions! **

**Thank you all for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	12. Homecoming

**Hey everyone and welcome back! This chapter was a bit of a bitch to write but I got it done in the end. I hope you all like it. **

* * *

"So you guys are all set to go?" Blake asked with genuine interest.

"Yeah, we're all packed up. We just gotta meet our huntsman at the airship docks later this afternoon and then we're off." Jaune replied with an air of excitement, yet Blake could see beyond that. She could see the nerves and possibly fear for his home village.

"That's pretty cool, I bet you're all really excited to get out there huh?"

"Yeah! What about your team, are you guys still going out on one too?

"Well, Yang managed to 'persuade' them to postpone it apparently. She, Nora and Ren all refused to go without me so it got held back a few days until they let me out of here."

"Well that's pretty cool huh?" Jaune was beginning to flounder for things to say.

It was idle chatter and normally she wouldn't have bothered with it, but after a mind-numbing week of being in Beacon's infirmary with nothing but Yang's poor puns and bawdy jokes to break the monotony, Blake welcomed any and all conversation. She was beginning to look well again after so long couped up. Her various bruises and scrapes had healed up nicely and the medical staff reckoned that she would be ready for discharge by the end of the week. Blake of course disagreed, her whole body itched with the anticipation of being able to walk around again. Yet with her own team's mission approaching the doctors wanted to keep her in for as long as possible to give her the maximum time to recover.

"Well, we just wanted to come see how you were doing before we headed out. Oh I almost forgot! We wanted to bring you this." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a hard back book with a large blue dragon embossed on the front. It was a sizeable book, approximately three inches thick and had a fair weight to it. Blake's eyes grew slightly wider at the sight, a book! Jaune had brought her a book! She darted forward and swiped it from his grasp before he had even fully extended his arm to offer it to her. She ran her hands over the cover, savouring the feel of paper beneath her fingertips once again.

Flipping the book over in her hands, her golden eyes quickly scanned over the summary on the back. It was an interesting concept about a young farmer boy who finds a dragon egg and who's life is forever changed when it hatches and bonds with him, turning him into a dragon rider. Admittedly she wasn't one to read such novels on an ordinary basis but after so long separated from her beloved books (Yang had refused to feed her thirst for literature under the assertion that all of her books were 'lust filled romance novels'), she was willing to give it a try.

"Thank you Jaune, I've been in dire need of a good book. Good luck on your mission. Pyrrha, take care of him, make sure he comes back in one piece?"

"I'll do my best." Pyrrha giggled and made to follow after her leader. Weiss and Ruby both wished the faunus well and shuffled out the door.

Blake smiled warmly at the champion and watched as the blonde and his team made their way out of the room. The moment they were gone and she was once again left alone, Yang having been dragged away by Ren to classes, she opened the cover and began to read.

_'Wind howled through the night carrying a scent that would change the world'_

* * *

Team JSPR made their way back to the dorms and ran through their bags double checking that they had everything that they might possibly need for any eventuality. Weiss was ruthless in ensuring that they had all packed properly. For Jaune, Ruby and Pyrrha it proved to be incredibly frustrating with more than a few arguments breaking out over what one might have believed to be trivial items such as extra toothbrushes. Yet eventually, they did manage to finish packing. It had taken over an hour to run through the heiress' whole checklist but they had finished at last.

Hefting rucksacks far larger than any of them had ever anticipated, they steadily made their way across campus to the airport. It was hard work and took far longer than it normally would have done given the weight that they were carrying yet at long last they made it. The four teenagers dropped their bags into a heap and dropped to the floor beside them. The weather was boiling hot, the sun beating down on them without mercy and it took its toll. Even the Ice Queen seemed to have lost her cool.

"How long is this huntsman going to be?" She gasped, checking her scroll for what must have been the thousandth time. Jaune opened his mouth to speak but before he could a familiar voice cut him off.

"Ah, hello young huntsman and huntresses in training! Are you ready to embark on your first adventure?" Jaune recognised that voice all too well. It was the one voice he had hoped not to hear, the voice of Professor Peter Port. He opened his eyes a little to confirm his fears and found, to his dismay, that he wasn't mistaken. Standing over them was the portly Professor in all of his moustachioed glory. Over one shoulder he had slung a large kitbag, easily large enough for several weeks worth of provisions. His famed moustache was just as bushy and well-kept as ever, although Jaune wondered just how he managed to get it to keep its shape.

The blonde collapsed back onto his kitbag with a long low groan. Pyrrha swatted his arm playfully before helping him to his feet. Immediately Port rounded on him.

"Mr. Arc, I believe that we are to stay with your family for the duration of our operations is this correct?"

"Uh yes Professor. My family are gonna let us stay with them."

"Capital! This is just the kind of camaraderie that I would expect from the huntresses and huntsman of the future!" The professor grinned, slapping Jaune on the shoulder and nearly sending him flying with the surprising force of the blow.

"Now then!" Port continued "I have personally prepared our aircraft so if you'd be so kind as to board, we can set off without any further delay." Spinning on his heel the Professor walked off towards one of the bullhead transports on the landing pads, a slight spring in his step. Seeing this, Ruby couldn't help but wonder just how long it had been since he had last stepped outside of the classroom. Shrugging it off she heaved her bags onto her back and shuffled along with her friends over to the aircraft. The had barely stowed their bags when the engines span up and the craft took off for the skies. Jaune staggered around and fastened himself securely into his seat, not wanting a repeat of their foray into the forest of Forever Fall.

"As you are all aware, there has been a marked increase in Grimm on the outskirts of our destination!" Port yelled, fighting to be heard over the tumultuous sounds of the engines while still maintaining his theatrical demeanour. "Our job will be to scout out the surrounding area and try to work out what it is that is causing the Grimm to gather and target the village. Now I know that some of you might be feeling nervous or uneven on the eve of battle so allow me to put your minds at rest with a tale from my youth! It was around the time of my third year in training when my team and I..."

Jaune's attention fizzled out at that point as his stomach began to play up. He sat doubled over in his seat, leaning against the harness and staring at one of the rivets in the floor with all of his intent. A tap on his shoulder broke his concentration and brought all of the feelings of nausea rushing back. A tiny hand was thrust into his view, in the palm of which rested two tablets. He looked up and saw it was that of his partner. He took the two tablets and swallowed them dry, shuddering as he caught a little of the after-taste... it was far from pleasant. Fortunately the effects were entirely positive. Not long after his stomach settled and he was able to look up and away from his riveting rivet and actually pay attention to Port's story. Almost immediately however, he tuned back out, since the professor was still only on the introduction. The blonde settled into his seat as comfortably as he could and waited for the moment their three hour flight would end.

* * *

Blake was torn from the book in hand by a gentle knocking at her room door. She sighed as her eyes flicked up to the doorway, loathe to tear them away from the words on her page. It had taken a while but the story had finally got going. It had detailed the development of the dragon into adult hood in such a way that had kept her entranced. The stoic was surprised then, to see Professors Goodwitch and Ozpin accompanied by General Ironwood. The three stepped into the room and gathered at the foot of her bed. Ozpin gestured towards the chair beside her, the faunus nodded her consent and he sat down.

"Can you help you professors, General?" Blake asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Well, first off we thought you might like this back?" Ozpin answered, Ironwood stepped forward and from behind his back, produced Gambol Shroud. It was just like new, the cleaver-sheath gleaming with a highly polished shine. She reached out and reverently took it from him. Blake drew the blade from its sheath and scrutinized the blade, amazed to find no sign of where the intruder's dust weapon and fused with it. Sheathing it again she looked up at the General and his companion, her eyes flitting from one to the next and scanning their features for a full minute or so. She was now far more willing to listen to what they had to say, after all they had brought her Gambol Shroud back in the best condition it had been in for a long time.

"Secondly, we had heard that you were awake and well on the way to recovery. We were hoping that you might be able to tell us a little about what happened that night before I found you Miss Belladonna." The General continued. Blake sighed and was silent for a long while. She had known this moment was coming of course, only, the faunus had hoped it might have taken them a little longer to actually get around to it. In truth she had been reliving that night every time she closed her eyes to try and sleep. The dreams never got any easier to watch, everything was so real. The pain, smells and the sound of her assailants voice were all on point. It was terrifying and she had woken up screaming in a cold sweat on more than one occasion. In truth the fact that she had been so close to death was a shocking fact. That her life was such a fragile thing that it would take so very little to snuff it out.

"W-well there's not much that I can say really. I came out of the ballroom to get some fresh air and I saw some movement on the rooftops. I decided to follow after and observe, calling for back-up if she proved to be a real threat. I lost sight of her outside the CCT and found the first guard. I called for my locker and went in to investigate. Inside I found another two guards knocked unconscious. I made my way up to the main transmissions floor since that seemed the most likely place to start and that's where I found her. She and I fought for a little while but she overpowered me with her strange weapons. She was about to kill me when the General interrupted..." Tears streamed down Blake's cheeks as she relived the events, the memories still too near, raw and painful for her to bear.

"I know this must be difficult for you, but is there anything you remember about this mystery woman, any features that we might use to identify her in the future?" Ironwood pressed the inquiry, although the sympathy was evident on his face.

"I-I... don't think so. In truth she was pretty conservative about her appearance. She was in a uniform black catsuit and a mask. The only real unique thing about her was her weapons, I'd never seen anything like it. One moment they were completely solid and the next they flowed like water. They caught me completely off guard and before I knew it she had rendered Gambol Shroud effectively useless. I've not felt that helpless since I was very small... It was... horrible."

"Thank you Blake, we can see that these are very traumatising memories for you to bring up. You did very well, acting with courage and integrity in the face of adversity, qualities which we have come to expect of huntsmen and huntresses the world over. Thank you for your time this afternoon, we shall leave and allow you to return to your book." Ozpin spoke before Ironwood could press his interrogation any further, a fact that the faunus was eternally grateful for. Ironwood was the first out of the room, followed closely by Ozpin, leaving Goodwitch alone with the faunus. The blonde Professor leant forward onto the end of Blake's bed with a soft and subtle smile, not too dissimilar from Blake's own. She took pause for a few moment and cleaned her glasses with a small lens cloth.

"You know Blake, what you did the other night was incredibly brave and you almost paid the heftiest of prices for it. Such courage is something to be proud of. I do however want to take the opportunity to say that if there is anything that you would like to talk about regarded the incident the night of the dance, you can come and see me from there, I will pass it onto Ozpin should you rather the General didn't find out for whatever reason." Goodwitch nodded and tapped the side of her nose in a sly gesture, but Blake knew what it meant. It meant that they didn't trust the General nearly as much as they let on, that should she happen to 'remember' anything, it might be better to speak with Goodwitch or Ozpin directly and they would pass on her remarks to Ironwood if they saw fit to do so. By suggesting such a thing, they allowed Blake some freedom and breathing room to deal with the issue, a fact that the stoic was immeasurably grateful for. The only thing was that nothing out of place came to mind.

"Thank you Professor. I'll be sure to keep that in mind should anything come up." She smiled. The moment that the professor had gone, she re-fluffed her pillows and settled in to read her book again, subconsciously sifting through her memories of the night for anything important, any detail that she might have missed at the time that could be picked up on now. Returning to her place in the novel she read onward, briefly wondering how her friends were handling their assignment,

* * *

"... And that children, is how I killed the Namean Ursa. A beast who's skin was so thick according to local folklore, that no weapon could pierce it. All it took was a couple of good swings and it went down leaving me the victor." Port grinned and looked around at what he was sure would be a captive audience. He was mistaken. Jaune's motion-sickness pills had worn off, so he was back to staring at the rivet again. Beside him Pyrrha had drifted off to sleep and now sat, snoring gently with her head leant against his shoulder. On his other side, Weiss looked about ready to join the champion and after nearly three hours of 'stories' the heiress looked all set to join her in the lad of nod. Off beyond the Schnee, Ruby was completely asleep. The rose sat slumped forward, a long string of droll hanging from her mouth and stretching all the way down to the flooring panels, leaving the metal slick and slippery.

Three hours... It had been three hours solid that Port had been telling his 'motivational tales' for. By the time that they felt the aircraft begin its descent, they were all about ready to leap from the aircraft to escape having to possibly listen to any more of his stories. Jaune sat upright, his stomach twisting itself into tight knots as he looked out the port hole next to him. Even as he watched on, his childhood home came into view, growing in detail as the approached. It brought up more than a few memories, both good and bad as well as the feeling of homesickness that he had felt on leaving. Weiss gently clasped his shoulder with one of her little hands and shot him a rare yet entirely welcome smile.

Their craft touched down relatively smoothly and Port unpacked their bags, throwing them out of the aircraft door and into some patches of long grass just outside. Both Weiss and Jaune set about reawakening their sleeping partners, not the most easy task, to Jaune's surprise.

"Pyrrha, it's time to wake up. We've landed, the mission starts now." Jaune said softly as he gently shook her awake. The Champion groggily opened her emerald eyes, taking a moment for her vision to focus itself she looked at Jaune with confusion written all over her face.

"You fell asleep on me during the flight. It was actually pretty cute" He explained, smiling as he watched the blush creep over her cheeks. Turning around he watched Weiss' attempts to wake Ruby.

"Wake up you dolt!" She yelled, throwing a pinch of her ice dust onto the rose. The sudden chill had Ruby up on her feet in a nanosecond, shivering violently and drawing her signature red cloak in tightly around her. Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the heiress' slightly more... questionable methods although he did feel sorry for the little reaper. The four teenagers checked over the cabin quickly for anything important that they might have dropped. When none prevented themselves, they disembarked back onto the solid earth again. Port bid their pilot a fond farewell as the air filled with the sound of turbines once more. Their transport lifted off and began the long flight back to Beacon. JSPR watched after it until it faded completely from their view, once it was out of sight they turned back to their objective and got their first real look at the village. Their reactions were mixed, Ruby and Pyrrha looked on it with an appreciation for its quaint nature. Jaune looked on with a strong feeling of nostalgia, everywhere he looked there were memories in his head associated with whatever he could see. Weiss looked on, severely underwhelmed. Not at all surprising given her lavish upbringing in the Schnee manor in Atlas.

"_This_ is your home town? Its..." She paused, catching venomous glares from the other two girls. "Pleasant enough..." Jaune heaved a sigh of relief, in a way it was Weiss' opinions that scared him the most, given her initial reluctance to so much as come out here in the first place.

"Team, welcome to Avalon! The jewel of Vale and home to the Arc family for over seven generations!" Jaune announced proudly.

It looked to be simple town, composed of several clusters of low wooden cabins most of them were single floored but there were some two stories tall. They were set into a neatly organised pattern of outwardly spiralling streets with a large three story building, presumably the town hall, set in the very centre. Set in the centre was a foreboding grey stone clock tower. Small wisps of smoke rose from the various chimney stacks across the village. It was a peaceful visage far from what any of them had been expecting, rather there seemed to be no signs of the Grimm presence at all. Everything seemed just as it had the day that Jaune had left for Beacon, a fact that the blonde was eternally grateful for.

They each shouldered their bags and Jaune led the way for them into the village. It was a relatively short walk before their feet met with a paved pathway and passed into the settlement proper. Passing between the neat rows of houses Jaune led them into an open square where several market stalls were set out, merchants peddling their wares from spices to poultry to fine handcrafted jewellery. Hundreds of voices calling out in a cacophony, fighting to be heard over all of the others. It was a unique atmosphere to be certain.

The five of them made their way through the square, the girls being accosted on numerous occasions by jewellery traders. Many a time they had to pull Pyrrha away from the salesmen because she was on the verge of being fleeced out of her money. It was almost surreal for Jaune, he could remember always coming down to the market with his parents on market day and many of these traders he knew well. Here and there, those that did know him stopped and stared watching the young blonde and his friends walk by.

They passed through the square and out the other side, heading through to the other side of town. Taking them down one of the streets he led them up to the front door of one of the two story houses. Out front was a simple low stone wall behind which was one of the well tended and luscious gardens around, so much so that even Weiss looked it over appreciatively. Taking a key from his pocket, Jaune unlocked the front door and stepped inside leaving the rest of them to follow after. Ruby paused for a moment in the front yard, she stepped over to admire the single rose plant. It was a fine specimen with numerous pale white roses adorning it. Leaning down she lightly sniffed them, taking in their fine fragrance before darting inside after the others.

Ruby found herself in a well lit hallway with a single passage running down to what she assumed was the other side of the house. Opening off of it on the right hand side were a number of doors leading into various other rooms while off to her left was another door and the foot of the stairs. From what she could tell the stair ran up parallel with the main hallway to the second floor. The interior walls were papered in white and all along were hung eight pictures, portraits of what Ruby assumed to be a much younger Jaune alongside seven girls that the rose assumed to be his sisters. They were all blonde with blue eyes save for one of them, she was brunette with She silently pointed it out to Weiss and Pyrrha and at her signal the three girls crowded round the frame giggling and cooing at the image of the cuter, younger Jaune.

Jaune turned around to welcome his team and direct them to dump their bags onto the floor when he saw them all gathered around. He blushed and was about to step in when he heard a familiar feminine voice off at the end of the hallway.

"Jaune? Is that you? Jaune! It is you, you're home!" A wide grin spread across his face as he turned around to find him Mom jogging down the hall. Before he could quite react, he found himself enveloped in a strong set of arms and the life being crushed out of him.

"Hey Mom... Nice to see you again too..." He groaned as several of his ribs audibly popped before his mother finally released him.

"And who are these three lovely young ladies you have with you Jaune?" His mother asked with a raised eyebrow, spying the three girls all still giggling over Jaune's childhood photographs all of whom immediately fell silent under her stare. Jaune turned to look at his teammates and then back to his Mom, a dark blush spreading across his face.

"I-It's not what you think! These are just my teammates! They just happen to all be girls." He cried out in protest to the growing smile on the older woman's face and the twinkle in her eye. Both Ruby and Pyrrha appeared physically deflated at his answer, though the knight couldn't see their reactions, his mother could.

"Three very _attractive_ girls." She observed teasingly "Your father will be so proud when he gets home. Now where are my manners, I am Jaune's Mom Mabelle." The three girls all introduced themselves, though Ruby was by far the quietest. Not just due to her being nervous but also because she was getting a good look at Mabelle, taking in every detail she could and trying to scope out any potential weaknesses. After all if Jaune's speech was anything to go by then his Mom was every bit the protective lioness over her cub. And that meant that should the rose want to try her luck with dating him then she would need his Mom on side.

Regrettably, the older woman seemed relatively unassailable. She was a tall and proud looking woman of quite a lithe figure with brunette hair and the most intense set of emerald green eyes that Ruby had ever seen. Under their stare even the most stalwart warriors' courage would falter. It made sense given that she had given birth to and raised eight children... well, seven. By Jaune's account his younger sister was still only young, yet weren't they all?

"Where are the others Mom?" Jaune asked, tearing Ruby from her scrutiny of his mother and bringing her crashing back down into the reality of their situation once again. Jaune had raised a valid point, he had seven sisters and save for the photographs, they had yet to see any of them.

"Missions, They were all called up either abroad or outside the kingdoms. You can guess how excited the idea of some action made them. They shot of like a rocket without even saying a proper goodbye. They should be back during your stay though so things will probably get a little bit cramped. You might have to sleep on the floor down here so that your team can have your bedroom because you _won't_ be sharing a room with them... Of course Marron could always sh-"

"Jauney!" A shrill cry cut Mabelle off and a small blur shot past all of them and barrelled into Jaune, knocking him to the ground. Ruby blinked in surprise at the tiny brunette girl that was currently in the final stages of tackle hugging her leader. By her side Weiss, Pyrrha and even Port looked on with a similar look of shock, unsure quite what to make of the small brunette bullet.

"Hey Marron, it's good to see you too." He groaned, climbing back to his feet and dusting himself off. Placing a hand on little Marron's head he affectionately ruffled her hair before picking her up and perching his younger sister on his shoulders.

She couldn't have been more than seven or eight and seemed quite short for her age. It was immediately clear that she took after her mother given the brunette hair and bright green eyes, although in terms of facial structure, she was striking, sharing a resemblance with Jaune and the six other sisters in the photographs. There was however one inaugural fact about the youngest Arc; she was undeniably adorable.

"Mabelle! It has been too long!" Port burst out once the introductions had been made. The professor had remained silent, seemingly content to wait out the introductions before making his presence known to Jaune's Mom.

"Peter! Too long indeed you old coot! How have you been?" Mabelle's face lit up seeing the moustachioed Professor. She led him away from the teenagers and Marron and off into the room she had come from leaving JSPR alone with Marron. Jaune wasted no time with introductions.

"Marron, I want you to meet my best friends; Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos."

"Wh-what do you mean 'best friends' Jauney?" Marron asked, wide eyed.

"Oops, sorry... They're my best friends but _you're _my _bestest _of all. My partner in crime." He explained with a slight blush. That was it, that was the thing that melted their hearts. Even the Ice Queen's usual stern expression softened immeasurably to a point that it almost seemed that she was smiling. Marron looked over Jaune's teammates one by one her eyes seemingly scrutinising them all.

"I-is that the cereal box lady?!" She gasped, a tiny hand darting out and pointing towards Pyrrha. The champion seemed quite surprised by the outburst and shuffled back a little bit.

"You bet! She's my training partner." The blonde leader explained with a touch of pride in his voice. Pyrrha nodded with a warm smile as she was acknowledged

"She's pretty, they all are! Are any of them your girlfriend?" Marron giggled with child-like innocence, completely oblivious to the deep blushes and looks of total embarrassment on all of their faces, including that of her brother

"Jaune! Show them to their room!" Mabelle's voice rang out from down the hall. Jaune picked Marron up off of his shoulders and set her down at his feet. She pouted adorably at having been removed from her seat, though Jaune seemed to be immune to its effects for he laughed.

"Marron, I need you to show them the way to their room so I can bring their stuff up ok? We can cuddle after."

Marron nodded and grabbed Ruby's hand before darting up the stairs with Ruby in tow. She was followed in short order by Weiss and Pyrrha, leaving Jaune behind to tend to their things. Hefting their bags up and onto his back he began the walk up, straining against the load but not wanting to make two trips. Half way up the stairs he could hear his team's hushed voices.

"... I know right? And the way he acts with her is just so cute~" It sounded like Ruby.

"Yes, I have to admit that dolt is really quite adorable when it comes to his sister." That had to be Weiss

"It was heart-warming to watch." The third voice was of course Pyrrha's. Jaune blushed for the remainder of his way up the stairs, listening to his team talk about both him and his sister. He could hear his sister skipping around happily on the top floor and sighed contentedly, musing to himself.

_'It's good to be home.'_

* * *

**Yep for those of you that read my other work you will notice that I have chosen the same names for Jaune's family. This is because I absolutely love them as characters. Now that they're with Jaune's family I can begin to implement the main adventure sequences for the storyline. I hope you are all enjoying it so far, let me know what you think in the reviews. As always please do favourite and follow if you found this pleasing.**

**Next chapter, the missions begin properly. More team BRNY and the first step into a ship. Which one you ask? Well you'll just have to wait and see wont you?**

**I have been theflagshiparkos you have been my beloved readers and this has been 'A Rose for the Champion' Thank you all for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter. **


	13. A Kiss and a Crisis

**Hello everyone, I'm posting this one just after finishing writing the next and I think you're going to love it. I've decided to split the narrative between both teams at least for the missions phase since it allows better development of characters and such. Let me know if you prefer this or would rather I focused solely on JSPR. Either way, here is the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Twigs snapped and leaves rustled as the four members of team JSPR, led by Professor port, made their way through the underbrush in the dense woodland surrounding Jaune's childhood home town. It had been the same thing everyday for the previous week. They would wake early in the morning and eat a hurried and hardly satisfying breakfast before heading out to hunt for the day. Yet it wasn't too bad, as far as first missions go, it was a fairly good one. The Grimm they had faced so far had been plentiful in number yet weak in themselves. In the week that they had been working to cull the numbers of Grimm, they had faced hundreds upon hundred of them. Killing them in droves, yet they hadn't faced anything more difficult that Beowolves and the odd Ursa. Something wasn't quite right but for Jaune, these easy Grimm were good Grimm.

The blonde's stomach growled to itself as hunger began to take it's icy hold on him back. They had taken a brief respite at around high noon to rest their legs and eat the various sandwiches that Mabelle had taken to making for them each and every day. Nothing complex or out of the ordinary, just simple cheese or jam sandwiches, but they were appreciated by the whole party as an excellent morale booster after a hard morning of hunting the various beasties lurking in the nearby landscape.

For Pyrrha in particular it proved to be a useful opportunity to watch Jaune fight and to note down the things that she might or would need to address when they returned to Beacon and their nightly training sessions again. Though she was proud of the knight and all that he had achieved after a relatively short time practising his swordplay with her, there was always room for improvement. She watched him closely, scrutinising his every step, swing, lunge and counter attack as he felled beast after beast with a growing sense of self confidence and power. It wouldn't be long now and he might be well set to compete in the upcoming Vytal festival's combat tournament against fighters from all over the globe. Though that was all a while away yet.

Ruby had enjoyed their mission so far, it had been just like everything that the story books had ever told her. Watching Jaune fight had even brought a few of her favourite stories to life. The tales of knights in shining armour fighting off the evil monsters to save the helpless town. Indeed, it sounded just like the plot to one of the many different tales that Yang had read to her way back when she was only a little girl. If anything, it served to bolster and strengthen her views of the knight being a handsome guy who fought for those weaker than himself, no matter the odds. She looked away from him and hid her face to try and conceal the blushed touching her cheeks. It wouldn't do for him to find out about her truest feelings now.

Before long, the sun was setting in the sky above them, and it was time to head back. With the Grimm only serving to gain power as the moon came out. After all, even the most experienced of huntsmen or huntresses might prove to be undone by the sheer numbers of Grimm. That most certainly wasn't what the four teenagers felt like doing with their evening, rather they were due back at Jaune's family home for a big meal with Mabelle and Marron.

The five hunters made their way out of the forest following the faint game trails that criss-crossed the landscape. While they wandered and meandered, these game trails were by far the fastest means of navigating their way out of the woodland and after a half hour of walking, they came into sight of the town's walls. Though perhaps the word 'wall' was being generous given the simplistic nature of the village and their desire to only use the local materials, it was more of a palisade, with a gate in each of the four main compass directions. It was enough to withstand a few minor Grimm incursions a year but lately, the Grimm had been getting bold. They had attacked in larger numbers and begun to chip away at the wall, putting it into a state of disrepair and with the town's relatively low population, they simply couldn't spare the men necessary to hold off the threat to allow the time for proper repairs.

Making their way through the southern arch, the five of them nodded politely to the gate man, Roran. Over their stay they had come to know him, often sharing brief jokes or conversations with him as they left in the mornings and as they returned in the evenings. He had become a staple part of their routine and to go a day without seeing him would have proved strange indeed. Today was no exception, surely enough as they approached, he came into view with his signature grin plastered across his face. To many it might have proven a little disconcerting, but Roran seemed to be smiling permanently. They had yet to catch him without his wide toothy grin. Roran was a tall and skinny man, there was hardly anything of him. He wore a simple armour of a chain mail backed jerkin and around his waist was hung a humble broadsword. Functionality over fashion seemed to be the mentality that he exuded, because his apparel certainly wasn't winning any points for its looks yet it was robust and allowed for a full range of movements while still providing a decent degree of protection to the areas that would need it most. His head was more or less square, with a series of laughter lines and crows feet etched into it stemming from years of bawdy jokes with the other guardsmen.

"Alright there Port, kids, Ice Queen? Get many today?" He asked with a slight chuckle. Weiss gave him an indignant look that only seemed to fuel his laughter and spur him on a little.

"Not really, just a couple Beowolves and one Ursa." Jaune replied with a sigh. Roran stepped out of the way and let them pass, choosing not to further question them for risk of bringing their mood down even further.

Jaune led the way for his team as they walked slowly up and through the town to the Arc residence. Not pausing to knock he simply kicked open the door and stepped in. The three girls and Port followed after him though Pyrrha noticed a shift in their leader, a change in his attitude and it was clear to her that something simply wasn't right whether he was willing to admit it or not. It troubled to see her leader agitated by a problem, bottling it up wouldn't help and she was determined to help him fix the issue.

She paused for a moment in the hallway, making a bit of a show out of adjusting the bindings of the bracer on her arm as the various members of their hunting party split off to their various locations. The moment that both Weiss and Ruby had made their way upstairs to their shared room, the champion stepped through into the spare room which Mabelle had been insisting Jaune sleep in, despite the fact that he had been bunking with all three of the girls since the start of the year.

To her surprise it was empty, Jaune had clearly been through given the fact his armour, hoodie and t-shirt were all strewn across his bed. Shortly after the sound of running water hit her and her eyes flew to the room's en-suite bathroom. The door was slightly ajar. She would ordinarily have left at this point, yet something urged her to stay. Walking around she sat on the bed and peered through the gap in the door.

She could see a mirror, half steamed up. It was in this mirror that she caught sight of her partner in the shower. Steam rolled out through the gap in the doors and billowed into the room. Her face flushed a bright shade of red, similar to that of her hair. It all seemed to be so wrong. Here she was, the champion of Mistral, spying on her training partner in the shower. She had to go, yet no matter how hard she tried to tear her eyes away and leave him until he was fully dressed, she simply couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was certainly attractive enough to her, that much was certain.

Not long after, Jaune shut off the steady stream of water flowing from the shower head and stepped out. He wrapped himself in his towel and left the bathroom followed by a thick cloud of steam. He was of course, surprised to see the red haired victor sat on his bed waiting for him, yet try as he might he simply couldn't bring a frown to his face. Rather a heavy blush darkened his cheeks as a warm and fuzzy feeling filled his heart, the likes of which he didn't understand nor know how to interpret.

"Hey Jaune." she began, her voice weighed down by a major dose of nerves. "I've noticed that you don't seem to be your usual self. I was hoping that we could talk about it, I mean we're partners so you can tell me anything you like and I'll do whatever I can to try and help you out." She smiled warmly in a way that melted his heart. He wanted to tell her, yet he wasn't entirely sure what the problem was. He had known that something was up given the growing sense of tension within him.

Seemingly in response to his thoughts, he felt her hands clasp hold of his shoulders in a gentle yet firm grip. Tugging slightly she pulled him down so that he was laying face-down on the bed. Before he quite knew what was happening, she ran her hands across his back in a brief run as she felt out the various knots and stresses that had formed within the muscles of his back and shoulders. The champion smiled as she picked them up, it seemed that she hadn't lost her magic touch in all of her years as the champion of Mistral.

Her hands worked their way across his back and shoulders, fingertips digging in firmly as she worked to remove the various knots that had formed over the previous months and days. Her efforts were rewarded by quiet gasps and moans as the blonde began to relax and become a putty under her fingers. As she worked her hands, she decided to press the issue that had brought her there in the first place.

"Jaune... You've been growing more and more tense these past few days. Ruby, Weiss and I are getting really concerned. It's clear to us that something has been bothering you, so what is it?" She asked, each word falling like a tonne of lead. He tensed up ever so slightly under her touch before relaxing again and sighing.

"I don't like it Pyrrha. The report said _heavy_ Grimm activity... would you honestly say that in the time we've been here that the population of Grimm that we've faced has been heavy? Cause I wouldn't. Now that leaves two options; either the townsfolk that reported it are liars _or_ we have missed something. Now I know these people, and they aren't liars. Now that means that we have missed something big and if that's the case they we need to hurry up and notice it as soon as is possible. Otherwise I fear for the safety of the town."

"I know these people are your friends Jaune and I know it must be frustrating for you but you have to stay calm. Getting would up wont help matters any, in fact, it only really serves to push your friends away from you. You have to let us in, we are your teammate, best friends and family away from home. So please share your troubles with us. It might even help?"

"I'm scared... Something is out there and we can't find it so I'm scared. I know you must think I'm crazy but something is out there and it's not friendly. If we don't work out what it is and stop it, then soon it might be too late."

Pyrrha finished her massage and allowed the knight to sit up before kissing him sweetly on the cheek. Her face turned a beet red as she did yet for once she didn't care. She held the contact for a few moments before drawing back again and whispering in his ear.

"Jaune, I know you worry but we will keep these people and their town safe. If anyone can, it's you so don't worry." She smiled. From the kitchen, Jaune's mother called out to them all for dinner and Pyrrha sauntered out of the room to let him change. Once she was gone, Jaune's hand slowly rose and caressed the part of his cheek that her lips had touched mere moments ago. A warm and fuzzy feeling welled up within her heart and swelled, the likes of which he had never before felt. It was alien and confusing and he hadn't the time to deal with it now. He pushed the thought away to the very back of his mind and turned his attention to the dilemma at hand. Just where were all the Grimm? He thought hard on it as he made his way through to the dining room and sat down with his parents and team. A fleeting image of Blake and team BRNY ran through his mind and he couldn't help but wonder if they were alright. After all, today was they day that they left for their mission.

* * *

"Hello children! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" That one sentence had made Blake's heart sink, much like those of her whole team. Of all the huntsmen in all of remnant that might have been accompanying them, why did it have to be Professor, no wait, _Doctor_ Oobleck? It wasn't that Blake disliked him as such, it was just that she didn't see him proving to be of much use to them on their mission, it was true that he was a fully fledged huntsman, he just didn't seem the type to be of much use in a fight.

Of course she had kept her thoughts to herself, despite being mostly sure that both Ren and Yang shared them. Nora... well the faunus was pretty sure that Nora didn't really care which huntsman they had. The Valkyrie was simply looking forward to the thrill of battle and being allowed to unleash all hell with her gigantic hammer of war, Magnhild. Blake shuddered at the though of her grenade launcher/war hammer combo. She had seen it in action, the explosive rounds decimating whole hordes of Grimm and the Valkyrie mopping up and survivors with the hammer, a look of savage glee on her face and a joyous laughter on her lips.

As it was they all stood in their bullhead aircraft, holding tightly to the overhead straps for their brief flight out to Mountain Glen. Oobleck stood in the centre of the compartment explaining the history of Mountain Glen to them, despite the fact that they had read it over and over as a team in their mission dossier. Blake had made sure that they knew the brief and overall objectives both inside and backwards long before they had even been set to go on their mission, in truth the doctor's summary was mere revision for them.

"We shall be dropping into the very centre of the city. From there we shall branch out each day, exterminating any and all Grimm that we encounter. I don't need to remind you of why we are here, nor why the headmaster 'bent' the rules to allow first year students on a mission usually only available to the cream of the third year crop so to speak. We aren't just here to hunt and kill the Grimm, we are here to track them and hopefully find the hidden centre of operations for a certain group of freedom fighters. Stick by me at all times, trust in my judgement and I'm confident that all will be well." The Doctor spoke at what sounded like a million miles a minute. So much so that team BRNY struggled to keep up with him and absorb all that he said. Fortunately Blake had developed a method for picking out the key parts of Oobleck's speech. She heard the words 'stick by me' and that was all that she really needed to know.

Pausing for a moment, she thought about why they were headed to Mountain Glen, about why this abandoned ghost expansion had featured so highly on their bucket list of wastelands that they simply had to visit, and it all boiled down to a part of her past that she would have preferred to stay just there, in the past. The White Fang. Though it pained her to admit it, everything that had led up to this moment had been spurred on by them. The dust robberies in the shipyards the previous semester and the repeated hits on small dust shops to name just a couple. After a little information was provided by an old associate of Yang's they had deduced that their foes had settled in the South-East of Vale. It also seemed likely that the assailant whom had hospitalised Blake was somehow connected, though how exactly remained a mystery.

Peering out over the edge of the cabin, she watched the landscape zip by below. It was fairly bland since they had passed over the mountain ranges south of Vale. Their pilot had taken them low into the valleys winding their way up to the old site of Mountain Glen. She caught sight of small, dense patches of foliage below overshadowed by the mountains around that rose several thousand feet into the sky like the very earth's jagged grey teeth. Here and there around the small patches of hardy trees she could see brief flashes of black fur, red eyes and the occasional spine or claw. Her enhanced Faunus vision picking out the Grimm below. Perhaps everything was not as tranquil as it might have seemed on first glance.

These sightings grew more and more frequent as they flew further and further towards their destination. No longer did the Grimm cling to the micro forests below, now they travelled in columns, all together, a jumble of species. It didn't bode well, she could make out all manner of Grimm from the common Beowolf to the mighty Ursa Major and Death-Stalkers. They were flying into what was most likely going to be the biggest and most difficult fight of their young adult lives. It wasn't for naught that Mountain Glen was abandoned. There was said to be a huge population of Grimm there naturally, clinging to the air of negativity, sorrow and death that filled the city. Yet if the White Fang were truly there, it would tip the negativity off the scale. So much raw hatred and anger would attract every Grimm for a hundred miles around. That many concentrated all in one place? Blake knew that they were walking a knife edge. One wrong step and everything could end in disaster.

Before long they passed out of the valleys and over a gigantic plateau. It was naturally flat and ominously empty, still she could see the clusters of migrating Grimm, all headed in one direction, the same one that they were. Quite suddenly, the high pitched whine of the engine cut down as the pilot utilised a unique set of suppression devices. They clamped down over the exhausts of the two engines, restricting the flow of both sound and the waste gasses. Ozpin had ordered them fitted in preparation so as to give their small team the best chances of an uneventful landing.

Not long after, buildings began to pass by underneath them, well the emptied out and desolate husks of buildings began to. The whole city was simply one giant ruin the likes of which none of them had ever seen. The ones that still stood were empty shells, devoid of any and all life that might have once occupied them. It proved a strong image that struck deeply at the core of each and every one of them, bringing about an uncomfortable atmosphere of disquiet.

Their aircraft drew into a low hover and the pilot gave them a thumbs up with a nervous smile. Clearly their surroundings were getting to her just as much as the small band of hunters. One by one they all leapt from the aircraft and down to the street below until only Oobleck remained. Before he could move the pilot called out to him.

"Hey..." She spoke in a hushed voice that had the doctor stop dead in his tracks. Cocking an eyebrow the hyperactive historian turned to look at the pilot. He didn't say a word, instead he opted to simply wait for her to say her piece.

"Take care of those kids... Bring 'em back safe okay?" She offered with a small hint of a blush.

"You have my word. They will be alright with me." Oobleck replied and just like that he was gone. He stepped out of the aircraft and fell to the ground below.

* * *

The brief fall to the ground was one Blake savoured, it was peaceful, the calm before the inevitable shit-storm of gnashing teeth and razor sharp claws. Not a good time for any involved. Yet when she landed, Gambol Shroud raise in a defensive pattern prepared for an incoming attack, nothing struck at her. Even as her team landed by her sides expecting a similar bloodbath nothing happened. Her golden eyes scanned the street around the suspiciously, though she could see neither hide nor hair of their enemy. The creatures of Grimm.

Taking the opportunity to survey their surroundings a little better, the faunus began to take in details. They had landed in what seemed to be a small high street, lined with quaint boutiques and grocery stores. Or so she believed, it was hard to tell given the extreme state of decay that the whole street was in. Windows were smashed, either by the Grimm or during the looting sprees of the last days of the city. Spray painted across the walls of some buildings were the slogans of the hopeless and doomed citizens. They read such things as _'We're all going to die!' _and _'The end is here' _to _'God, why hath you forsaken us?!'_

Blake sighed as she realised that these were the signs of the gradual breakdown of society. Each message was written by someone, as hope faded and the final lights began to go out all across the city. This was a ghost town, a dead town and they were intruding. Across the street from the shops was a wide park, complete with a children's playground. The once brightly coloured paint had long since faded and flaked away leaving little more than rusted exoskeletons of the jungle gym and swings. It was harrowing to see such a place, once filled with the joyous laughter of children now long dead. Shivers ran down her spine as the faunus took it all in, her eyes welling up with silent tears for the lost. Her heart wept for them, knowing that many of the dead were the same age as both she and her friends. Her thoughts flew to Jaune and his team as Oobleck landed and began to lead them cautiously into the city's very heart with the care of a field mouse stealing food from under the nose of the farmer's cat.

* * *

Mist rolled between the thick trunks of mighty trees forming a thick blanket over the earth and giving it an entirely ethereal appearance. High above, hidden by the forest canopy the shattered moon glowed brightly and bathed the world in a pale luminescence. Alone among the titanic pillars, growing from the ground Jaune stood with both his sword and shield in hand.

Around him a chorus of blood chilling howls as pair after pair of burning red eyes lit up. Together their howls joined together into a single chilling harmony the likes of which struck at his very core and chilled him to his marrow. It felt as though the very warmth of his blood had been stolen away, leaving him a frozen and empty husk.

The eyes began to edge forward on him, surrounding him, entrapping him in their snare. Seeing no way out, the knight raised his shield, preparing to feel the cold embrace of death before long yet determined that if this was to be his place to die, he would take as many of them with him as he could muster before at last the death knell sounded and his life force was extinguished, taking him from the world and off to meet his maker.

The first of the beasts broke cover and charged at him. it was unlike anything he had ever seen before but it wasn't alone, they poured in from all directions and surrounded him in a circle of gaping maws and hateful eyes. They were Beowolves, much like the droves that he and his team had killed before yet they were all several times what they should have been. They towered high above him, each one the height of many men and snarling ferociously. Jaune took a breath and steeled himself, charging into the fray. The first of his opponents swung a paw at him, he raised his shield to defend himself and the hit collided with the force of what felt like a bus. Jaune was sent flying back and straight through one of the nearby trees.

His aura flared brightly and bathed the surrounding forest in a sea of bright golden light as he sailed straight through the tree trunk in a shower of razor sharp splinters. He plowed into the dirt on the other side, rolling uncomfortably until he stopped, slumped against a nearby tree with the wind knocked out of him. Looking forward with agonized eyes at the tree he had just sailed through he watched it fall, the wood creaking and cracking as it did.

Far off in the distance he heard a girl scream in what could only be describes as complete terror. It was a voice he knew all too well, it was Ruby. Climbing to his feet he coughed and called her name though to his dismay there was no answer. He set off at a sprint in the direction of the cry, the Grimm hot on his tail. Behind him he could hear the thunderous steps of the horrific monsters but he didn't care. He blocked them out and focussed on running.

As he did, images of his team popped into his head. The serene beauty of Weiss, the innocence of Ruby and the unparalleled grace of Pyrrha. All three girls he had come to see as family and to hear Ruby scream in such terror as he had made his heart sink. His mind became inundated with thought after thought of his team's innocent rose at the mercy of those monsters and it drove him mad. He couldn't take it and pushed himself to the limits of his physical ability. She would be okay, she had to be okay.

Not long afterwards he burst into another clearing, yet there was no Ruby. He frantically searched around for any sign of her and that was when he saw it. Her cloak lay in a small heap in the middle of the clearing, a stark contrast to the pure fog around it. He ran forwards, no longer caring for his pursuers. Lifting the cloak in his hands, he found it had several large tears in it in the pattern of gigantic claws. Yet perhaps what was worst was that it was damp and dripping. Laying it back on the ground he found his hands stained crimson with blood. Ruby's blood.

Tears gripped him as he looked around for any sign of the others and found Akoúo̱, Pyrrha's shield close by. It had a gigantic hole punched through the centre, the edges of which were razor sharp and bent inwards, slick with blood. All hope began to fade as the truth of his partner's demise settled in on him. Tears fell thick and fast as he acknowledged that he would never again see her smile nor hear her voice, just as he wouldn't be able to enjoy cookie eating contests with Ruby. Inside him, a tiny sliver of hope remained but that too was soon dashed when his eyes landed on Myrtenaster. The rapier was stabbed into the ground not too far from him, its blade coated in a thick coat of black blood. Seemingly the heiress had taken a few of the Grimm with her or had at least gone down fighting. Beside her sword, sat the remains of Weiss' tiara. It was twisted and broken, the tiny gems lay littered about around it.

With his last hope having been cruelly plucked out from underneath him he collapsed to his knees, openly weeping for the loss of his closest friends. It didn't seem fair that they should fall and that he should remain. It was only in this moment that the true depths of his affections for the members of his team had become abundantly clear. They weren't simply his friends, they were like family. The family that fate had chosen.

From behind him a low growl brought him back from the depths of his grieving. Wheeling around he came face to face with one of the monstrous Grimm that he had been running from, seemingly the same one. He locked eyes with it, anger burning within his own. Rain began to fall in a torrential downpour as a thunderclap boomed and a bolt of lightning split the sky. The blonde's grip tightened on his weapons as his mind became overrun with pure rage. The Grimm seemed to detect this and made a sound that Jaune had never before heard it was a low grumbling sound that vibrated within his chest. In an instant he knew what it was. This beast was laughing at him, at his loss. That was the final straw.

With his anger broiling uncontrollably inside him, Jaune charged. He no longer cared for his own safety, only revenge. For without his team, life hardly seemed worth living. Kicking off from the ground he launched himself at the monster, tears still streaming down his face, and brought Crocea Mors down in a strong and decisive slash. The monster let out a roar of pain as another bolt of lightning struck the earth, lighting a patch of the forest not too far from him ablaze.

The monster's pain didn't hold it off for long however and despite the deep gash in its chest which was bleeding profusely, it darted forward and swatted him up before he could so much as blink. Time slowed itself to a halt as a second paw began to swipe down and smash him into the ground. He saw it all with perfect clarity, the claws swinging for him and slicing through several drops of rain even as they fell. He accepted his fate with open arms, watching as the claws approached to seal his doom. In his head he sighed deeply for not having been able to avenge his friends before the end. The claw approached and he braced himself for contact as time sped back up again. The claw collided.

Jaune bolted awake with a sharp cry. He was in a cold sweat with tears streaming down his face. Flinging the covers off he bolted out of his room and up the stairs to the room his team were in. He quietly opened the door and found his teammates all safely asleep in bed. He heaved a sigh of relief. Just then, as he was about to close the door again, Ruby stirred and saw him in the doorway. Confusion crossed her face for a moment.

"Jaune... What are you...?" She whispered, climbing out of bed and making her way over to him. Jaune internally cursed his own stupidity for having woken her. He should have been more careful.

"N-nothing... I uh I was just on my way to get some water." He explained hurriedly.

"H-have you been crying? What's wrong?" She asked softly and drew him into a hug. To Jaune, nothing felt better at that moment than to hold her in his arms. The smell of roses clung about her. Casting a quick look back at her teammates, she closed the door and led Jaune down the stairs and into the kitchen. It was a sizeable room with a breakfast bar and three tall swivel chairs at one end. She led Jaune to one and sat him down. In a whirl of motion and with a little direction from Jaune she soon whipped up two mugs of hot cocoa and sat next to him.

"Yang always used to make cocoa whenever I felt sad. Now, what happened Jaune, why were you crying?" She asked with worry in her eyes and sipped her cocoa. Jaune launched into a full description of his dream, leaving no detail spared. His voice got choked up as he reached the part in which he had found her cloak, Pyrrha's shield and Weiss' tiara. Fresh tears coated his cheeks as he spoke.

"...A-and that's when I woke up, Im sorry I woke you Ruby I-I just had to make sure you were all okay, see it with my own eyes y'know? I mean I couldn't bear to lose you or the others..."

Ruby listened intently as Jaune told his story and could hear the emotion in his voice. When he described finding them dead she could feel each word fall like a hammer blow, weighed down by the depths of his sorrow. To know that he valued them so highly, that he valued her so highly set her heart aflutter. Before she had properly thought it through she edged forwards, the fresh tears on his cheek glistened under the room's lighting.

Jaune saw her move in closer and rather than backing away he found himself mimicking her. He leant in and quite before he knew what he was doing, their lips met. Time itself seemed to stop as they kissed. It was a magical event so rich with affection that the stars above cried out in envy of them. Jaune smiled, her lips tasted of cocoa and whether she had intended or not, it kept him in place. A warm and indescribable feeling bloomed in his heart unlike anything he had ever felt before. It confused and yet entranced him, leaving him desiring more.

Ruby's heart pounded as she saw him move closer and closer until they kissed. Her heart felt as though it might just burst straight out of her chest. It hammered on at a million miles per minute to keep oxygen flowing to her brain. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and fluttered around in a great swarm the likes of which she had never experienced.

When at last they pulled apart for breath they remained close to one another and blushing feverishly, neither one of them quite knowing what to say to the other in the wake of such an event. It was the first kiss that either of them had ever experienced. In the end it was Ruby that broke the silence.

"So... That was a thing..." She observed awkwardly.

"Y-yeah... it was... b-but what does it mean? For us I mean." He replied.

"W-well I guess it means that I like you Jaune... I like you a lot. D-do you... like me?"

"I-I think so... I mean that was amazing..."

"Yeah s-so..."

"So where do we go from here?" He asked cutting to the heart of the problem.

"W-well, when we get back to Beacon... we could uh... h-hang out sometime, maybe?"

"Yeah. I'd like that." He smiled and pecked her on the lips again. Hugging her tightly. The two remained in their own little world, completely unaware of the troubles and stresses of the world around them. They were entirely focussed on one another, enjoying every last second of their intimate moment.

It was then that the Grimm attack sirens sounded.

* * *

**Ok so how many of you saw the fic taking this direction in terms of shipping eh? I hope I surprised at least a couple of you with it. It was quite an odd experience to be writing a RoseArc segment for once, I often do through my Tumblr (URL is the same as my pen name for those of you that want to check that out, updates on the fic are posted there) but to actuallyt write something specifically for you was a novel experience but I digress.**

**I truly hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, be sure to drop me a review and let me know what you think. I read all the reviews and they do truly help shape the story. As always, please do favourite and follow. Just a heads up to everyone. I am about to head into the most important exams of my life so far so chapters might be few and far between for a while I do try and keep at least a week in advance so hopefully it wont be too bad but please bear that in mind if the updates stop for a while. Who knows it might build some suspense? But I understand that long hiatuses do break up a story and ruin its flow for those that actually follow them. I promise I will do my best but for now I shall leave you with this chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.**


	14. Nocte- Indignationem

**Hello everyone and welcome back, Im sure many of you are pretty anxious to know what is about to happen so I shall fade away and let you all get to the story. I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

There was a collective gasp of both awe and abject horror as Jaune and his team stepped outside. The sirens were still blaring loudly, warning anyone within a five mile radius of the Grimm incursion. Everything was confusion, the night sky was lit by an ominous orange glow and filled with thick black smoke which billowed from one of the many houses that were ablaze. Jaune's cobalt eyes darted around, analysing as much as he could and trying to draw up a conclusion of what happened and a plan of action though none presented itself. All he knew was that his childhood home was burning.

From across the town came the synchronised howls of Beowolves and the anguished screams of the women. Anger burned in the blonde leader's eyes at the sacrilege and desecration of his home town. It was hard to think that just five minutes before hand he had shared his first ever kiss with Ruby and that now he had scrambled into his combat equipment and was about to face his first real battle, his team at his side.

"Mom! Get Marron! The house isn't safe right now. We will escort you to the town hall, that is the safest place in town at the moment." Jaune spoke with a clear authority to his voice, the likes of which his team had never heard before. Even Mabelle seemed a little taken aback by her son's attitude but she soon recovered. The older woman dashed back into the house and scooped Marron up into her arms and ran back out again, pausing to close and lock the door. Marron clung to her mother, sobbing violently with a look of fear, clear for all to see.

Jaune turned to his team and gave clear and concise instructions to them. Within moments they had formed into a diamond formation around Mabelle and Marron with Jaune and Pyrrha at the fore and back, Weiss and Ruby guarding the flanks. Off to one side Port watched with a raised eyebrow, he remained silent and readied his weapon, deciding to watch how the young Arc would perform in their current situation.

With his team formed up defensively around his Mom and sister, they made their way through the streets and towards the town hall, its strong stone walls offering the best defence for the beasties of the night. The whole while, Jaune could hear his mother comforting Marron though to little effect. It pained him greatly to know that his little sister was so distraught with there being nothing he could do to try and remedy the situation.

They passed through the town with relatively little resistance, aside from a few brief skirmishes with some Beowolves. It didn't seem right, nor did it sit well with Jaune that they were encountering so few Grimm. The devastation around them didn't seem to match the concentration of the beasts within the town walls. Something wasn't right... he could feel it. Despite the obvious lack of monsters, the sounds of battle could be heard on the far side of town, seemingly the guardsmen were engaged with the enemy, holding them at bay.

After half an hour had passed since the sirens had first begun to blare, they all arrived at the town hall. Seemingly Jaune wasn't the only one to have recognised its strong defensive properties when compared to the rest of the town. Numerous other townsfolk were swarming into the safety of its walls, eager to take shelter from the dangers of the creatures Grimm. Team JSPR ushered Mabelle and Marron inside, the little girl still in tears.

They chose a small corner of the marble foyer, set between two pillars. All around them, the townsfolk were claiming their own sections of floorspace, while the town council members were retreating to their offices accompanied by their wives, daughters and sons. People from all walks of life, both rich and poor were all clustered together sharing out various supplies with one another. Jaune had to give it to them, they sure did band together in a crisis and always had, even when the plagues had struck after the great war. The knight had a healthy respect for that.

The blonde was taken out of his musings by a gentle tug on his sleeve. He turned around to find that it was Marron, her big brown eyes were filled with a film of tears still and she sniffed softly. Jaune took her into his arms and held her close as his sister buried her face in his shoulder and cried a little longer. She paused as Jaune pulled away to look her in the eyes.

"Marron, I know you're scared but with Dad being away and me helping fight the monsters I'm gonna need you to be a big girl and take care of Mom okay?" He spoke softly, his eyes warm and comforting. Reaching out to Ruby, the rose handed him a small dagger, which the blonde then passed to his sister.

"Now, I know you want to go to Signal Academy when you're older so I think I can trust you with this. If you're a good girl and keep Mom safe with it, Im sure Ruby won't mind you keeping it." He continued, shooting a brief glance to his Mom for approval. The older brunette gave a subtle nod and looked at her son in awe, amazed by just how much he had grown since leaving for Beacon. He wasn't the scared little boy anymore, he was a man. Jaune ruffled his sister's hair and turned to both his team and the Professor.

"Sir, I think our skills would be best put to use out there in the town. If we can help the guardsmen in any way, I think we had best do it." He said, his team offering nods of support behind him. The wizened old Professor looked at the four of them, a twinkle in his eye before he laughed confidently. It was a deep booming laugh, that raised the spirits of those around him.

"That's the spirit of true huntsmen and huntresses. Its bold! I like it! Very well, we will head out and see if we can assist the guardsmen fighting off these demons! Hunters ho!" He bellowed and raised his Blunderbax over head with a savage war cry inspiring those around him. The four teenagers matched him and together they stepped out into the burning town.

* * *

It wasn't much later that they arrived at the main gate that they had been using throughout their mission. They found it bowed in and splintered, hanging uselessly upon its great hinges. The area just inside the gate was a mess. Bodies littered the ground, some complete while others were... less so. Nevermore feathers sprouted randomly from the ground and in some cases the corpses of the less fortunate guardsmen. The air was filled with the stench of death and acrid smoke. It was a horrific sight which struck home with them all. Turning around he found the girls to be staring wide-eyed at the grisly spectacle before them, the four of them were just teenagers and this had been the first that they had ever seen of death itself. Doubling over, Ruby retched and vomited a little, her teammates able to do little more than rub her back in the hopes of comforting her, even a little.

"Look well children, for this is why we fight the Grimm. This is the devastation that they would bring to our homes if it weren't for the brave huntsmen and huntresses. Remember well that each and every one of those poor, unfortunate souls is someone's husband, brother or son. Remember and avenge them. Are you ready?" Port spoke, his voice breaking down the barriers of their horror and hitting them hard. His face was steeled and his eyes burned with anger and a thirst for vengeance.

Weiss was the first to reply, though not with words. Rather it was the clicking of the dust chamber on Myrtenaster and the deep hum of its dust charged blade. The rapier glowed with a fiendish light and thirst for Grimm blood. The heiress was soon joined by Pyrrha, a series of loud clacks as she unloaded and loaded Milo. The two girls were met with the rasping sound of Jaune drawing his sword and finally by the cocking sound of Crescent Rose, Ruby having recovered from the shock of seeing the dead for the first time. Port smirked and gave his Blunderbax a good swing, slashing through the air.

The five of them charged, it didn't take long for them to spot the guardsmen. They were clustered into a tight circle just inside the gate and being swamped on all sides by the monsters as hundreds upon hundreds burst in through the gates and threw themselves at the defenders with a ferocity unlike any other. The monsters were a never ending tide of evil. The ground around them was stained and saturated with black Grimm blood as well as that of their own men. They looked exhausted and on the cusp of total collapse. JSPR and Port smashed into the side of the advancing Grimm, catching them by surprise and driving them back and away from the battered guardsmen. Jaune knew little more than what was beyond the reach of his sword and what he could see of his teammates as they danced into his view.

The progress that team JSPR and Port made was to be short lived however as their advance ground to a halt. Even with their advanced level of training and aura, the Grimm were beginning to make ground and push the five of them back through sheer weight of numbers alone. Jaune made sure to give each step begrudgingly, exacting a toll of five Grimm for ever one he took backwards. It was a feat that would have proven impossibly for him when he first joined Beacon, but after week upon week of intense training with Pyrrha, Jaune was able to hold his own with a similar intensity to the others. While he lacked the stamina, born through the masterful manipulation of aura that they had, he held on.

To his left, Weiss fought. Bursts of flame and ice signalling the end of each of the monsters foolish enough to cross her path. She fought with mechanical precision from years of training with some of the finest fencers in the world. The best that money could buy, after all, what was too expensive for the Schnees?

At her side was Port himself. The Professor was proving himself to be far from the windbag that Jaune had thought him to be. He was swinging his Blunderbax in almighty strokes, it would disappear into the throng only to reappear moments later in a shower of blood and limbs. He was every bit the fierce huntsmen that he had professed to be in his lectures.

To his right were Ruby and Pyrrha, both fighting fiercely and building a respectable pile of their enemies' corpses before them. Pyrrha fought with an unearthly grace, Milo switching fluidly between its forms to whichever was most suited to her current battle. Her rifle spat rounds with deadly accuracy felling Grimm upon Grimm. Yet her gunshots were completely dwarfed by those of Ruby's sniper-scythe. Each round spelled certain doom for not one Grimm but several as her .50 calibre, high impact rounds tore through numerous opponents leaving a black mist behind. Every shot practically blew her first target in half in a gruesome fashion, leaving Beowolves flailing hopelessly on the floor only for them to be ripper apart and eaten by their own kind as they advanced.

Just as the Grimm succeeded in pushing the five of them back through the gateway, the remaining guardsmen rejoined the fight after having caught their breath. They roared their protest and defiance at the creatures and swung away. From behind the front came the sharp cracks of pistol fire as the injured guardsmen took shots at the encroaching hordes with surprising accuracy. Of course they soon ran out of ammunition.

One by one the guards fell back due to injury or extreme fatigue, yet Jaune and his team fought on. The blonde's arms felt like lead and he began to slow up as the night wore on. He accumulated more and more minor cuts, grazes and scratches. But no matter how many of the monsters they cut down, another always sprang forward to take his place. For the blonde knight, it had all become a sequence of action and reaction. Slash, duck, block and thrust. Rinsed and repeated the sequence was, over and over again. But always there were more Grimm.

_'It's gonna be a long night...'_

* * *

Blake sat on watch, peering out into the night suspiciously for any signs of their quarry. It had been a full day in the city now yet they had to find even the slightest clue as to the whereabouts of the White Fang. As time wore on, Blake could feel her hope beginning to fade. She hadn't been entirely sure what to expect, perhaps she thought that the White Fang would have been walking around in broad daylight given the secluded nature of Mountain Glenn. Alas, this had sadly not been the case.

Casting her eyes round she briefly looked over her three teammates. Eyes lingering on the sleeping brawler for a few seconds longer than she had intended. Her partner had proven to be far more supportive than the faunus could ever have expected once her secret had been revealed. The stoic had expected the blonde to become distant and distrusting, yet instead it had been quite the opposite. Yang had grown all the more friendly and supportive, following her orders without question or reservation, kinda like a big, shot-gauntlet wearing puppy. Yet Blake didn't mind, rather she found it oddly endearing in a way that she struggled to rationalise to herself. Much like the butterflies in her stomach whenever Yang insisted on wandering around their dorm in nought but her underwear. Strange indeed...

Before the stoic could fully consider the implications and reasoning of such feelings for the blonde, her ears picked up something out of the ordinary. Straining them to hear it, she could make out what appeared to be a voice, no, two voices... They were some way off and it was faint, yet with her enhanced senses she could just about make out what it was that they were saying over the gusts of wind.

"-Tellin' ya... there are more Grimm here every day...Gonna get us killed I'm tellin' ya."

"I know... Torchwick never told us bout this... Whatever... Let's just finish the patrol... Got a bowl of gruel waitin'... same crap as always..."

Blake leant out of the window ever so slightly and peered into the Gloom in the direction that she believed the voices to have come from. She soon spotted them off in the distance as two indistinct figures dressed in white. Emblazoned across the back of their jerseys was the Whit Fang insignia. They had, purely by chance, stumbled upon their targets. She got to her feet and hurriedly roused the others, explaining the situation to them all, a look of glee and excitement in her eyes.

"Right! No time to lose! We must chase after them!" Oobleck said in a whispered shout, at one million miles a minute before dashing out of their room. The teenagers doused their fire and followed on after him, down the three flights of stairs that led to their floor of the office block. It had been deemed the most appropriate idea to camp high up where their firelight would attract less attention from unfriendly eyes.

They caught up with the professor down on street level where Blake took the lead, her enhanced senses allowing her to effectively and safely lead her team along the best paths through the piles of rubble that had once been streets. Before long, they had caught up with the two patrol members and re-established eye contact. Blake held back, following them at the very edge of her visual range so as to avoid potentially alerting the two of them to the presence of her team. It was painful to have to move so slowly when the thing they were looking for was so very tantalisingly close.

The faunus had no doubts that should they simply catch the patrolmen, she would soon work the location of their base of operations out of them, no doubt using the... 'methods' that her former mentor had passed onto her over the years since the White Fang's reformation into the violent organisation it was today. Yet despite these beliefs, a part of her abhorred the idea, finding it to be both distasteful and against everything that she now stood for, everything that she had reformed herself into.

No, instead she would have to wait patiently. There would undoubtedly be blood spilled before the end, no need to add to that. The five hunters followed their faunus prey for what seemed to be hours, waiting for them to finish their patrol and return to base. Blake watched them with a smile, the two patrol men were completely clueless that they were being stalked and scrutinized. Finally, after what had seemed to be an eternity and as the sky was beginning to grow light once more. The two White Fang members stopped by an old and corroded iron door. They knocked in a peculiar pattern and it was opened for them. Blake's heart soared in her chest, after so much waiting it had all paid off. They had their target, all they had to do now was await the opportune moment to strike. Oobleck tapped her on the shoulder and gestured to an apartment block across the street, leading them into it and up a few floors. They all relaxed a little and allowed themselves a few deep breaths, content that the height would conceal their voices for the most part.

"Very good work Blake. We have discovered the snake's lair as it were. Now we must formulate a plan and act accordingly. If we move quick enough, they wont know what hit them..." Oobleck said with a smile, his eyes lighting up with slight malice.

_ 'So it begins' _Blake mused.

* * *

The night was beginning to drag on for Jaune and his team. They had begun the fight, full of energy and verve but as it had begun to wind on they had lost their steam. For the knight it all blended into a continual string of attacks, counter-attacks and occasional bursts of pain before his aura kicked in in which he become aware of little more than his own team and the swings of his sword. He had learned quickly not to look around. The horrors he had seen during the times he did simply weren't worth it.

Grown men had broken down into pieces at the violence and seeing their friends fall around them. Jaune had seen packs of Beowolves descend on lone guardsmen and rip them to pieces in mere seconds, their screams lasting for far too long and showing the full extent of their agony. After that the leader had made sure to keep every one of his team as close as was possible, not wanting any of them to fall prey to such an end. Even Port seemed to move closer too them.

The five of them cut swathes through the onslaught of Grimm, from Beowolves to Ursai they fought on but as dawn approached there seemed to be no end to them. It was just as dawn's first light crept over the surrounding forest and sunbeams broke through bathing them in its early morning brilliance, that there came a soft 'thump' sound. It was so loud that it vibrated in their chests and the earth beneath them seemed to shake beneath their feet.

The Grimm infront of them ceased their onslaught nigh on immediately, their heads sweeping around in fear as they skittered and drew back towards the treeline and away from the guardsmen.

_'Thump.'_

Jaune's heart sank as he began to frantically look around for this new beast. If the other Grimm were afraid then he and his fellow defenders had every right to be too. The guardsmen seemed full of fear, their eyes wide and their hands trembling awfully. An eerie silence settled over the terrified fighters for a long while until at last a voice rang out.

"B-by the gods! I-it's coming back! Cover! Get to cover!" It was Roran, though his voice had lost its usual edge and was filled with terror. There were many things which proved to scare Jaune, though none quite so much as the sound of that voice. To hear his voice, once so full of strength reduced to a quivering shadow of its former self sent waves of fear and terror coursing through him. It was inherently wrong to him.

_'Thump'_

Yet then he saw it. And he understood exactly why Roran was so scared. Rising over the heads of the trees with the sun at its back was something the likes of which Jaune had never seen before and prayed to never see again. A beast that would haunt his very dreams for the rest of his days. It was a great beast, black as night itself with two voluminous black bat-like wings sprouting from its back. It was huge, fully blocking out the sun behind it with a line or pointed black spikes protruding from its head. It was a monster, jagged and lacking in any form of grace, a creature that seemed to have crawled from the bowels of hell itself, designed and evolved for one purpose alone. To destroy the worlds of men. It reared back its hideous head, opened its maw and a torrent of bright blue flame shot out, instantly igniting a vast swathe of the forest even as it sped onwards towards them. Now Jaune knew, he knew exactly why the Grimm had fled, why the men were terrified and he understood the fear in Roran's voice.

Beside them Port wavered, his usual confident smile having faded entirely. He staggered back away from the haunting visage infront of them. His Blunderbax falling from his hand and landing with one side of the axe's head in the ground. He raised a trembling hand to his face, his eyes growing wide with fear.

"Nocte- indignationem!" he uttered with a gasp, barely loud enough for them to hear.

"Professor? What is it?!" The heiress demanded, fully aware of this new threat speeding towards them with their evisceration as its sole objective.

"Night-fury!" The Professor replied with tears forming in his eyes. "No... not again..." And with that he set off running, leaving his axe behind and diving for cover behind the nearest shattered house

Before they could react, a roar unlike any other tore from the flying monstrosity's mouth as it was upon them. The very air pulsing in time with the beat of its mighty wings. Jaune looked it in the eyes as it flew straight for them and saw nothing but resounding hatred and blood lust. Its colossal maw opened wide, an orange glow forming within. Jaune saw it coming and dragged his teammates together, raising his shield.

"Pyrrha! Shield Weiss!" He shouted, diving in front of Ruby and bringing his shield up. Pyrrha soon mimicked him, just in time too. They felt the searing heat of what could only be described as dragon fire engulfed them in moments as the pillar of fire from the Night fury sailed around them, singeing his clothes. Jaune could feel the metal of his shield heat up and begin to sear his hands, he grit his teeth and gave a pained growl, his aura fought to repair the damage dealt to his hands but could only to so much. Tiny arms wrapped themselves around his waist as Ruby hugged him tightly. He knew then that he couldn't give up no matter how much it hurt, more lives than his own depended on it. The dragon Grimm soared overhead and off towards the horizon where it banked and came around for another pass.

Jaune held on loosely to his shield, the burns on his hands beginning to heal. Haze rose from the shield's face and the ground around them, the corpses of the deceased guardsmen utterly incinerated beyond any recognition, the stench of their burning flesh filling the air. It was horrific, that was truly the only word for it. The blonde leader watched the beast as it circled round and angled back towards them, his heart sinking as he accepted that there were only two ways that this could possibly end. Either they had to kill this Grimm, or they would die. But how? How could they kill such a creature? One that could fly, and breath fire? It seemed hopeless.

"Jaune! That _thing_ is coming back around! We need a plan, and we need it five minutes ago!" Weiss' voice tore him out of his despair, she was right. They couldn't remain in the open, to stay still would be certain death. The blonde steeled himself and set off at a run towards a nearby alley between two houses and ducked into it, his team followed shortly afterwards, barely escaping another tirade of fire. They stood for a few moments catching their breath as Jaune raced to concoct some way to bring down the hell's spawn currently razing half of Jaune's home town. His mind raced, flitting between scheme after scheme. Not one of them was realistically possible nor likely to work. He growled in frustration and swung a fist into the wall, splitting his knuckles as he continued to draw a blank. Quite suddenly a hand grasped his shoulder and span him round.

The first thing he became aware of were the intense green eyes of his partner locked with his. They were inescapable, drawing him back whenever he tried to look away yet something was different about them. They lacked their usual confidence and determination, instead they seemed to be filled with fear and uncertainty.

"P-Pyrr-"

"Jaune..." She interrupted him, her voice little more than a whimper. "We are in trouble... miles above our heads and without our professional huntsman. You are the only chance this town has left, we are all depending on you to get us through this."

"B-but how?! Have you seen that thing?! How are we meant to kill that?" He replied with a stammer.

"Jaune listen to me. Your family are depending on you a-and so am I... I'm scared Jaune and I don't want to die... Please..." She spoked with tears in her eyes that wrenched the blonde's heart in his chest. How was he supposed to react to that? In truth he had no idea how to. The blonde simply nodded and remained looking her in the eyes. Taking a deep breath he sat back against the wooden wall of the alley and concentrated on calming himself and stilling his mind.

_'Deep breaths Jauney... in for three... out for five...'_ He repeated over and over in his head. Once he could think clearly he turned to addressing the heart of their problem. Namely the several tonne, fire breathing dragon flying over and incinerating the whole town. Not ideal.

_'The first step is knowing your enemy.' He rationalised 'Let's see... its huge, can fly and breathe fire so that rules out a direct assault. We'd be flambé before we got so much as ten feet, plus those scales look pretty tough... doubt we could even pierce them... that means...'_

His eyes shifted around as he began to draw together the vague framework of a plan. Before long they settled on the heiress. She was crouched with her back to them all the large snowflake on her back standing out.

"Weiss! How much dust do you have, and what kinds?" He burst out suddenly, the framework of his plan having been built into a fully fledged plan mansion complete with an interior. All it lacked was a door and he hoped that the heiress would be able to provide it.

"Uh.. I-I d-don't have much, half a bottle of fire and s-some ice... sorry." She replied in an unusually sheepish way, seemingly the fear of their current predicament was beginning to get to her. The blonde leader stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Don't be sorry Weiss, that is _exactly_ what I was hoping you'd say. Now, how much ice dust are we talking here?" He asked in a calm and strangely confident tone. For those around, it seemed hard to believe that this was the same Jaune that they had been assigned onto a team with all that time ago. He wasn't the wet noodle that he had been, instead he exuded an slight air of new found confidence that set their hearts at ease, after all if Jaune had reason to smile then why shouldn't they? Reaching into a bandoleer pouch at her at her belt, Weiss ran a quick count of the bottles held within.

"I have two bottles left. Jaune I-I don't think that'll be enough to bring down a Grimm of that size." She spoke with uncertainty.

"Oh don't you worry about that... it's not how much ya got, it's how you use it." He laughed. And pulled them all into a huddle "Don't you guys worry, I-I think I have an idea... Now, can anyone tell me exactly what happens when ice is superheated?"

* * *

**Oh Jaune, what plans have you got brewing in that tactical noggin of yours eh? You'll all have to wait until the next exciting episode 'A Rose for the Champion'. Okay, now onto a side note. I have a beta reader now! Sorry to all of you whom volunteered and didnt hear anything back from me. It proved a far more difficult concept to find someone that I felt comfortable sharing my work with but at last I have found them. That's all really, if you liked the chapter, please dont hesitate to leave a review for me and let me know what you think. As always, please do follow and favourite.**

**Thank you all for reading, I have been theflagshiparkos and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	15. A Tactic of Ice and Fire

**Hello everyone and welcome back for the newest chapter of A Rose for the Champion. I rally hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it.**

* * *

"You plan to do what?!" Weiss asked with an incredulous gasp on her face as they broke from their alleyway and dashed into another. They had been forced to do this periodically as the night-fury grew closer and closer to finding them. This 'plan' if one could even call it that was insane and the chances of it actually working were astronomically small yet it was all they had to go on.

"It'll be fine Weiss, I can do this." Her blonde leader replied in a feeble attempt to reassure her. Although Weiss didn't like it, a loud roar and searing torrent of blue fire bathed a nearby house and incinerated it, leaving little more than a blackened husk where once a full log building had once stood. Things were far from looking good and despite the confidence in his voice, the young Schnee could tell that he was deathly afraid. Eventually she relented with a sigh, it was a long shot but it was all they had and if they didn't do something and soon then they would run out of hiding places and inevitably succumb to the dragonic beast flying above and razing the town around them.

With trembling hands, the heiress reached into her pouch and pulled out the two remaining bottles of light blue ice dust and the single remaining red fire dust before holding them out to her team's leader. He took them and carefully set them together on the ground before stripping a little of the blue leather from the hilt of his sword, cutting it off to what he deemed an appropriate length with the blade of his sword he securely lashing them together in a sort of makeshift bola with a long strip to swing it around by.

Satisfied by his work he unbelted his sword and removed his armour, he would need to be light on his feet if this was to work out in any way other than his immediate death. He checked himself over one last time, making sure his shoes were double knotted and that there was no risk of his pants starting to fall down. One single mistake could spell his doom after all.

"Okay... Let's get this over with then... wish me luck?" He spoke nervously, his voice trembling ever so slightly as it sank in just how dangerous it was to do what he was about to. One false move and boom, he'd be lit up and his life snuffed out like a candle. No restarts or extra lives.

"You make sure to come back you dolt..." Weiss mumbled and gave him a quick hug, there was a slight film of tears in her icy blue eyes. Though it lasted barely a couple of seconds, she held on so tightly that she nearly choked him to death. It warmed his heart to see that she cared so much, though of course she wouldn't ever say it outright.

The white haired heiress took a step back with a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. Though she would never admit it to the dunce, she had become quite attached to him in the recent weeks. It pained her to admit it but she had long since begun to see him as one of her fondest friends behind the red riding hood look-alike she had for a partner. She honestly hoped that he would come out of this in one piece... especially since he was doing this for all of them.

Ruby was the next one to step forward... or rather, zip forward. She shot up to him and practically tackled him to the ground as she hugged him. Her tiny arms locked around his waist like little bands of steel. She looked up at him with sparkly silver eyes, filled with tears. She smiled weakly with suppressed worry and whispered to him, loud enough so that only he might hear.

"Y-you come back okay...? Don't forget you owe me that d-date when we get back to B-Beacon..." It was a simple sentence but one with profound impact. Her words made him blush a little as he nodded

"You bet Rubes, you'll be dining on caviar in the finest restaurants when I come back okay?" He spoke with conviction although inside he was steadily crumbling away into nothing. In his heart of hearts he knew that his chances of returning, at least in one piece... He gently patted the little rose on her back and she let him go, shyly taking a couple steps back to stand at Weiss' side where the heiress wrapped her in a soft hug to comfort her.

The last member of their team to step up to him was Pyrrha, her eyes flitting between a wide array of emotions from sorrow to concern through to what Weiss could only identify as deep affection. She gently clamped a hand on her shoulder with a soft, if wavering smile. In reality the champion was terrified by the reality of what her partner was about to attempt and the possible implications of it.

"Jaune... I-I know you can't promise me that you'll be alright but I want you to try your very best. I just... I couldn't bear it if you were to... Please be careful." She stammered as though struggling with some kind of an internal dilemma before she shot forward and placed her lips to his with surprising care, joining the two of them together in a kiss. Once again, just as it had with Ruby, the world outside of the two of them ceased to exist. All he was conscious and aware of were the champion's warm lips pressed to his own, even the Night-fury itself took a back seat.. It might not have been as sweet as his kiss with Ruby but it certainly wasn't lacking in intensity. Pyrrha poured every ounce of her accumulated affection for the knight into their kiss creating something magical. Had either of them been aware of their surroundings, they would have known about the look of absolute shock and perhaps a hint of jealousy. She was unrivalled however, by the look of pure venom and animosity coming from the little rose. It was true that neither of them had officially claimed Jaune for their own but still... she hadn't expected Pyrrha to be quite so bold...

It was a pretty lengthy kiss and when they parted Jaune was left with half lidded eyes and an expression somewhere between happiness and total confusion. Had she just kissed him really or was this all just a dream? No, it couldn't be a dream, the burning town wouldn't be there if it was. So she, the famed champion of Mistral for four years running and the Pumpkin Pete's mascot Pyrrha Nikos had just kissed him?

"P-Pyrrha wha-" He began to speak but was cut off by a long, slender finger being pressed to his lips. By now her body was pressed right against his, making him blush even redder than he had been before.

"Shhh Jaune... we'll discuss it when you get back... this way you'll have even more reason to be careful out there." She said with a giggle and a quick wink before stepping over to join the other two members of her team. Jaune shook his head, ridding it of all thoughts not directly associated with his task. Cobalt eyes scanned the leather wrapped vials in his hand and nodded, it all seemed secure.

"Okay Weiss, you remember the plan?" he double checked.

"Down to a 'T'." She replied with a sharp nod.

Jaune took a deep breath, grabbed his shield and made his way to the end of the alley and poked his head out, eyes frantically darting about the sky looking for their scaly avian enemy. As he edged out even more he had to throw himself back just to avoid a deluge of flame as the Night-fury glided above on silent wings. As it flew off down the street and began to circle round, Jaune seized his opportunity and ran out to the centre of the wide street, his makeshift bola in hand. He watched with a sense of impending doom as it drew back around a flew straight at him. His eyes darted over to the heiress who made a series of gestures with her hands.

Just as the creature drew near a large glyph, black as the beast's hide appeared on the floor fifty feet from the blonde. It was the usual giant snowflake but with a large arrow in the centre. Her gravitational glyph. As soon as the Night-fury flew over it, it knew that it was in trouble. The sudden increase in gravity caught it off guard and brought it plowing straight into the ground at a break-neck pace. With an anguished roar of agony it landed squarely on one of its wings, the snap of the thin bones rang out loud and clear for all within earshot. This was it, Jaune began to swing his bola with increasing speed, raising it above his head and slowly began to walk towards the dragon.

Its eyes burned with hatred and fury as it glared back at him and tried to stagger back upright only to fall back as it did so due to its shattered wing. As he drew near, it snaked its head back and drew a deep breath. This was it. He swung the bola a couple of times, the dust vial whizzing through the air with a low 'whoosh' sound until he released his hold on the leather and threw it straight at the beast before ducking behind his shield. He knelt for cover and waited. His aim was true and the three bottles sailed straight into the creatures mouth and down his gullet. The Night-fury paused for a moment in what seemed to be surprise. Before loosing a billowing cloud of blue fire at him.

"Hey you! Ugly dragon thing!" The blonde yelled from behind the safety of his shield. "Do you know what happens when you super heat ice? It creates a large amount of steam, very quickly. That steam expands and if their isnt enough room it expands quite... explosively."

The beast ceased its attacks and paused for a moment, almost as if waiting for the blonde to explain his point to it. Jaune was only too happy to oblige knowing that by now the vials were likely in the beast's stomach and being corroded by its digestive acids. It was only a matter of time until the dust reacted and produced what Jaune hoped to be lethal results. He had seen the effects of dust weeks ago when Ruby had an unfortunate run-in with the stuff on Beacon cliffs.

"Unfortunately for you dragon... You just ate three vials worth of dust... fire and ice to be exact... you are in some trouble now!" He laughed almost maniacally and ducked behind his shield as the beast flailed in panic to try and escape its doom, but it was too late. Even on the outside, the sounds were heard, two loud 'pop' sounds followed by the hiss of rapid freezing. A look of surprise came over the dragon's face as Jaune dropped down behind his shield and awaited the third Vial. He didn't have long to wait as there was a colossal bang.

He peeked over the rim of his shield to watch and even before his eyes, the monster's belly flashed brightly from an interior light source and began to expand rapids accompanied by howls of pain from the beast. The blonde found himself grinning as it continued to expand, bigger and bigger until it was fully twice its original size. There was a brief pause as Jaune smiled and locked eyes with the monster.

"Pop." he spoke as the creature exploded with an earth and ear-shattering kaboom. The ground shook and Jaune collapsed to his knees clutching at his ears in desperation as chunks of dissipating Grimm flesh fell around him accompanied by a rain of thick black blood. It was a gory scene indeed as the paving slabs were painted black with the Night-fury's very life essences.

Even as Jaune knelt there before the corpse, his ears still ringing and hunks of meat falling from the sky, his team ran over and collectively wrapped him in their arms. Squeezing him tightly, not one of them wanting to let him go. Even Weiss seemed genuinely glad that he had escaped without major injury. The blonde himself had never felt quite so appreciated, it was warming for him to feel wanted by the three people he felt closest to.

"Great job Weiss! That was really impressive! You have really outdone yourself." the heiress smiled warmly at his comment glad to be receiving praise and indeed for being able to help her leader. Perhaps what appealed most to her is the fact that she could claim to have brought down a Night-fury along with one other. Certainly no mean feat

"Well... I couldn't possibly take all the praise, if it hadn't been for you, we would likely have never been able to beat such a powerful Grimm. Really, I only did what I was told. You deserve the credit for such quick and effective thinking... although I still think it was a reckless idea and one that could so easily have gone horribly wrong." She chuckled and even went so far as to give the blonde a sly wink before her face flushed beet red at the gesture.

"Careful now Weiss, I might start thinking that you're actually fond of me." He laughed, soon joined by his teammates. As they were laughing, a ragtag group of guardsmen and one incredibly dishevelled looking Professor Port approached unnoticed. Once the team finished with their hug they were startled to find their new audience gathered around them with awed expressions and smiles of disbelief. The Professor himself seemed scarily alike a lost puppy, his eyes were turned down to stare at his shoes in shame. Even his moustache seemed a mere shadow of its former self.

"Students... I-I am sorry... I should have stayed by your side throughout that ordeal but like the coward I am, I ran so as to save my own skin. That is certainly not how a hunter should behave and I cannot apologise enough..."

Jaune looked at his in disbelief. It seemed surprising, almost farcical that the great and might Professor Port, a man with all of the stories of his own bravery would ever need to come grovelling back to a mere group of students because in their moment of need he had fled to save his own life. Jaune of course was more or less willing to forgive and forget, it was hardly what one might expect from a huntsman but since the whole of his team had made it out of that situation alive, he saw no reason to complain.

Weiss however, would not be placated. She was seeing red and by the anger flashing in her eyes, she was just about ready to drive Myrtenaster into Port's big toe and slowly bleed him to death from there. She was about to explode at him when the blonde clasped her shoulder ever so softly to calm her down.

"Weiss, it's alright. We all made it out alive so it's not worth fighting over anymore. If you really have a problem with it, lodge a formal complaint when we get back to Beacon okay? Shouting here wont do any good." He spoke calmly but with an air of authority that the ice queen found in remarkably hard to argue with. She sighed resignedly to calm herself down.

Over to one side Roran, whom JSPR were glad to find to be still alive, had formed up the remaining members of the town guard. Out of the original sixty volunteer guards, only a meagre twenty or so remained standing, around ten others were badly wounded or so traumatised that they would be unable to serve in the town guard again. The other remaining thirty men lay strewn around by the town gate in one piece or several. Some were pale faced and entirely devoid of blood while all that remained of others was a smouldering indistinguishable piles of ashes. It made Jaune's heart sink to look over the bodies of so many. Each and ever one of them had a family, they were someone's brother, father or son. They had likely been born in the very town that they had died in.

Even as Jaune contemplated the impact that so many deaths would have on the town, Roran organised a detail to begin gathering the dead and carrying them over to the main town square. The town itself was razed to the very ground. Fires having set and burned the majority of houses down, very few had remained untouched and even those that had sustained no visible damage were blackened with soot.

The dead were laid out in a long line in the centre of the town square, Jaune sighed as he looked the line up and down. The day would go down in the town's history as one of infamy. The Grimm had never been so bold before, such an attack was unheard of before. Never before had the town guard been so sorely tested in their duty and despite having taken such heavy casualties the night before, they had proven themselves more than capable in holding their own against extreme adversity. With a sigh, the bodies ready for the upcoming honours parade, Jaune made his way up to the town hall's massive doors and pounded his fist against them.

* * *

Mabelle sat with Marron the whole night through, neither of the two girls could have slept even if they had wanted to what with their concerns about their blonde knight and the three girls at his side. The mother kept reminding herself that her son was out fighting alongside the guardsmen and a fully trained huntsman not to mention his own tightly knit team of trainee huntsmen and huntresses.

When dawn broke and they had still had no news from the fighters, Mabelle began to worry. They could still hear the sounds of battle from across the town. Just how long was this night going to go on for? How many Grimm were even out there? Things took another turn for the worse when they hears a series of deep thuds and terrible roars set them on edge. Just what could that creature possibly be? Where did it even come from? All across the town hall, people peered through gaps in the windows and gasping to themselves before turning away, the hope drained from their eyes. Mabelle had to hold Marron in place to stop her going to look for herself. The less they knew about what it was that Jaune was fighting, the better for them both.

It went on for some time, every passing minute felt like an hour and every hour felt like a week. The mother began to worry more and more until at last there was an earth-shattering explosion. I was a low, dull sound that reverberated through the walls and floor. It startled those assembled and once again had them flying to the windows to see what was going on. From all throughout the foyer, cries and descriptions of the outside world. Talk of it raining black water and... meat? It didn't seem quite possible.

And then she heard it. After several hours locked away in the town hall she heard a loud bang on the doors. Their heads snapped to face the doors, two pairs of intense green eyes staring at them and wondering if it was all over, could it possibly be? A group of three men formed and pulled the door open, as the sun streamed in, there stood Jaune. His clothing was shredded and stained black in places with Grimm blood as well as his own congealed life essences. In an instant, she was on her feet and had crossed the distance between herself and her son, taking him in her arms and holding on as though he might disappear forever if she didn't. For those nearby it was a heart warming sight that had parents hug their children and lovers hold one another.

"Oh Jaune! Thank goodness you're okay! W-where are your team?" she asked with slight concern, noting the absence of his team. Though the young knight didn't seem to be distraught it didn't necessarily mean that the lovely girls on his team weren't injured or worse. Experience had taught the mother that Jaune could hide his emotions remarkably well, it had been his way of coping with his sisters' teasing from a young age. He had learnt that if they couldn't get a reaction from him then they would leave him alone. It was an admirable skill really, and one that he seemed proud of.

"I-it's good to see you too Mom... Th-they're fine. Hardly a scratch on them but I uh... I think the house burned down... There's not much of the town that's left standing out there." He replied with a film of tears forming in his eyes. It was heart-wrenching to know that his childhood home, complete with countless numbers of memories and sentimentality was likely little more than a pile of fresh ashes. His Mom seemed to share his mentality, a look of sorrow crossed her face before she buried behind a smile once more. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to hide it; it was clear that she was internally lamenting the loss of so many years worth of objects which, at first glance, might have seemed worthless. But to her they held a deeper meaning. They were things that no-one could put a value on, photographs of all of her children as they grew up, things that were irreplaceable. She sighed and nodded, glad to still have her son in one piece.

Together, the collective inhabitants of the town hall stepped out into the daylight. Many raised hands or arms to shield their eyes from the intense sunlight of dawn only to look on in dismay at their town. Roughly two thirds of the town was completely burned to the ground or had been turned into splinters by the night-fury. The other third were still standing, but it seemed questionable as to whether or not they still withheld their structural integrity. But as Jaune only knew all too well, the town would recover. It might take a while but the townsfolk would rebuild the whole town, from scratch if necessary. They had claimed the land after the great war and built a home and lives for themselves once before, they could do it again. They were a town of hard workers. Men and women with gravel in their guts and mountains of elbow grease.

No, what seemed to shock them most were the long line of covered bodies laid out before them with the faces exposed. Mothers ran over and anxiously made their way down the line looking for their sons. Some sprinting to the survivors and wrapping them tightly in a strong hug. And crying tears of absolute joy. But there cannot be happiness without sorrow. There were some whom were the unlucky few. Families whom had lost their young men, men cut down in their very prime. They felt no joy, only the bottomless pit of despair that had settled into their hearts. For them there was now a huge void, one which could never be filled and it made Jaune guilty to see.

He had been fighting alongside these men and indeed, some of them had died literally saving his life. It made him wonder just what he could possibly have done to deserve life when so many others around him had died. What was it that made him so special, was it really just the luck of the draw or was there some kind of higher being, pulling the strings of the universe and watching them all play out a pre-written script? His musings and mourning were interrupted by a hand gently cupping his cheek and lifting his face.

The blonde found himself staring straight into a set of soft viridian eyes. The eyes of his partner. He found himself blushing as she gave him a smile, wondering why it was that a warm sensation bloomed in his heart.

"It's not your fault Jaune. There is nothing more that you could've done. Nothing that you could possibly have done to save them. The war on the Grimm is just that, a war, and though it isn't the nicest thing ever, people die in war. They fought bravely and their names shall forever be remembered. I hear the townsfolk talking of erecting a monument for the honour of the glorious dead. They shall not be forgotten." She spoke softly to him and he found some comfort and solace in her words. It was a side to her that he had never before seen, one that was more than anything she had ever shown herself to be before. These weren't the words of his teammate, they were the words of his partner and best friend, words tailored for the sole purpose of comforting him alone. It was flattering to see his friend care just so much for him.

Yet it was questionable just what she really was to him anymore. The kiss they had shared back in the alley hadn't been a kiss between two friends. It had been far more than that, something far deeper that had set his heart racing and left his mind spinning. It had been different from his kiss with Ruby but both had shared common ground. It had left him confused about his relationship with each of the two girls. Were they really just his friends, or were they perhaps something more? He simply didn't know anymore, nor did he know how he truly felt about them. They were both attractive girls in their respective ways. Pyrrha was regal, serene and full of grace. A real warrior queen of old with the weapons and jewellery to match. While Ruby was young, innocent and sweet. She was willing to do anything for her friends and was fiercely loyal to a fault. Both were his best friends though neither seemed to hold more sway with his heart than the other. Just what was he going to do?

* * *

Blake sat by the window just back and out of view yet high enough to look out. They had been camped out all night without a fire and it had proven to be bitterly cold. Of course, there could be no fire when they were camped out so close to the hideout of their quarry. Anything which might make it easier to spot their small group could spell doom for them all. After all, four of their five were human and would be at a severe disadvantage in the dark against the faunus freedom fighters of the White Fang.

She sat there against the cold stone, shivers racking her body over and over as the wind blustered through, carrying with it a biting cold. It was one of the few times that Blake wished for something a little more thick than her usual attire. Something with plenty of fur to keep her warm. With a sigh the stoical faunus leant her head back and cast her golden eyes towards the sky just in time to see a star shoot overhead. For a brief instant and against her better judgement the young faunus made a wish, it was a simple one though she didn't put much faith in these things.

"I-I wish to be warm..." she sighed to herself, scarcely a whisper.

Her wish was heard however, though not by some form of celestial being. Rather it was her partner. The brawler lay on her back and half opened her eyes at the sound of Blake's voice. Her lilac eyes seemed to glow in the dark as she steadily shuffled her way over to the faunus.

Blake's head snapped round at the sound of movement as she saw Yang begin to shuffle over towards her. The faunus raised an eyebrow in curiosity, unsure what was quite happening until Yang arrived and curled up next to her, her body practically draped over the faunus. Immediately Blake understood as heat flowed from the brawler. The evening chill seemed to vanish as the blonde held her partner in a tight hug.

"Wish granted~" She whispered, her lilac eyes looking straight up into her partner's eyes of gold. Something grew within Blake, an unusual feeling in her heart. It was something that she had not felt for many years, not since she had last seen a particular fox faunus... not since she had sworn to never love again. Blake found herself looking straight into Yang's eyes and biting her lip ever so slightly. A blush grew on her cheeks and she sincerely hoped that it would be obscured by the gloom of the night so that the blonde wouldn't notice and be able to capitalise on it.

Yet it was then that something happened which Blake did not expect. The faunus found herself leaning forward, moving her own face closer to Yang's and before she quite realised what she was doing, the faunus had joined their lips together in a slow and sweet kiss. Blake felt her cheeks heat up and her heart begin to run at double speed. This had all been so unexpected and she wanted to pull away yet something deep within her, a primal urge begged her to stay. Perhaps the thing of most concern was whether or not Yang was okay with it. Such concerns were soon settled however as the young faunus felt a hand gently weave itself through her hair and softly pull them together as the brawler began to kiss back. The two of them took hasty and ragged breaths in between kisses until at last the two of them pulled apart, panting softly with half-lidded and sparkling eyes.

"S-so... That was a thing." Yang whispered in between breaths. It was unusual to hear the usually confident blonde stammer. Blake had felt the intensity and affection in their kiss and

"Y-yeah... I uh... Im sorry..." The faunus replied, the blush on her cheeks still very prominent. She meant to carry on with her apology but she was stopped by a finger placed to her lips.

"Blakey, it's okay. Theres no need to apologise. I loved every moment of it~"

"S-so what now?" Blake asked.

"I don't know... I'm kinda new to this but, it's gonna be fun finding out." She giggled.

Across the fire, Nora sat perfectly still, propped up against Ren pretending to be asleep. It took everything that she had not to squeal with joy as her two teammates kissed. She gave Ren a gentle nudge, stirring him from his dozing state and silently motioning towards the kissing partners.

"Renny~?" she uttered, barely above a whisper.

"Yes Nora?" Came his tired reply.

"This...is...happening!"

* * *

**Yes Nora, yes it most certainly is. Buzz buzz everyone as the bumblebee takes flight. This was an interesting chapter to write and I do hope that you found it to your satisfaction, let me know what you thought of it in the reviews. As always, if you liked this please be sure to follow and favourite so you never miss a chapter. In terms of chapters I have to announce that this fic will be going on temporary hiatus for a little while starting: _11/05/2015 until approx 21/06/2015_ for my finals. I hope that you will understand and support me through this time and I shall return to business as usual as soon as possible. Many thanks to all of you for reading and especially to the wonderful littleredscythe from Tumblr for beta reading this for me. I recommend that you all go check her out, her Ruby cosplay is fantastic. Many thanks again and I do apologise for any inconvenience caused by my absence.**

**I have been theflagshiparkos and Ill see you all in the next chapter.**


	16. The Calm Between the Storms

**Everyone, I am back and what a pleasure it is to be able to write for you all again. This chapter has admittedly been a long time coming and at last it is done. I ask a little bit of leniency until I settle back into my writing groove again. I hope you enjoy it just as much as you did the others, perhaps even more. We will be going back to weekly updates again now so stay tuned. Without any further ado, I present chapter 16!**

* * *

Jaune dropped the stack of wooden planks he had been carrying with a satisfied sigh and a smile. It felt really good to be able to help out in the reparation efforts around his childhood home after having seen the sheer destructive force that the creatures of Grimm had had. In the two days since both he and his team had killed the night fury, the townsfolk had shown their resilience and truly bounced back in an entirely positive way. Many of the damaged houses had been repaired and some of those beyond repair had been torn down and mostly rebuilt. With so many hands all working together it had made for light work indeed. No-one had sat back idle, even Weiss had gotten herself involved after a lot of pleading from Jaune's younger sister Marron.

Yet despite the positive effect that the labour of rebuilding had been having on him, Jaune hadn't been able to completely lose himself in his work. Always, in the very back of his mind in a darkened corner, his most pressing dilemma still remained and the blonde knight knew that it was not about to go away anytime soon. No, it would be with him until either one of the Grimm got him or the issue was resolved. He shuddered and wondered to himself if it wasn't just better for the Grimm to get him. The issue he was bothered by was of course the interests of his two teammates and dearest friends Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos.

Just how it was that he had managed to catch the interest of these two women Jaune would never know. It certainly wasn't the confidence that his father had always tried to instil in him as he was growing up, no... Perhaps it was simply what they call fate or luck of the draw, just why did it have to be those two? It wasn't that he didn't find them attractive or interesting, far from it. Both women were fascinating to him and he could speak with them for hours and hours and never get bored. Yet the problem was that he didn't know how he felt about them. The very last thing that he wanted was to try and date one only to hurt the other, that would not only ruin his friendships but also possibly break his team apart and that was something that he simply couldn't allow. That was a part of the reason that he had been doing his best to avoid the girls these past two days, the other part being that he wanted to try and get his head straight.

He pulled his t-shirt off of his belt and wiped the sweat from his bare torso and face. The sun was out in force with the fast approaching summer and he was certainly beginning to feel it. The labour was tiring but it was honest hard work, a pleasant change from the panic ridden lifestyle of fighting the Grimm. He sighed and not for the first time, he considered hanging up his sword and taking to living the humble lifestyle of a farmer or baker. Living off of the fat of the land and raising a family. It might not have been what his father had wanted for him but in truth there were few things that Jaune could name which sounded better. He was pulled from his musings by a melodic giggling, turning to look in its direction he saw two young women looking at him with rosy cheeks and shy expressions. The blonde leader could feel his cheeks up as he did his best to hide behind his t-shirt which of course only seemed to send the two women into an even deeper fit of giggles until they finally moved away.

Team JSPR's fearless leader watched them go and stood there for a long while trying to suppress his feelings of embarrassment but was only partly successful. He tucked his t-shirt back through his belt and began the walk home, having finished his jobs for the day. He hoped that neither Pyrrha nor Ruby would have gotten home yet, he wasn't anywhere near ready to face them yet since whenever he thought about it his head span and left him feeling altogether rather sick. Setting off walking and enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sunshine it wasn't long before he arrived at his family's home. He was a little dismayed to see all three of his teammates sat out on the lawn of his front yard. Weiss was sat studying one of the flowers taken from the flowerbeds, every detail it had went under her cold and analytical blue eyes as though it held the answer to one of the great mysteries of the universe and the heiress was only an inch away from discovering it. Beside her Ruby was sat cross legged with her gigantic scythe Crescent Rose dismantled into its various parts and laid out upon a soft cloth in front of her as she set to cleaning and oiling each and every individual piece of her beloved weapon. Jaune couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he saw her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth in a look of absolute concentration. Thirdly, finally and undoubtedly most distractingly was Pyrrha. The red-haired champion was laid out on a towel in a gold coloured bikini basking in the light of the sun above them. Her skin positively glowed in a way that Jaune had never seen before. Despite everything that was going on in his head he couldn't help but pause for a moment or two and appreciate the sight. He was after all, only human and she was an incredibly beautiful woman. Whilst Ruby was truly adorable and great fun to hang out with Pyrrha had genuine breath taking beauty and a kind of grace that was rare to find, a diamond in the rough.

Jaune shook those thoughts from his head and hurried towards the house, it was a brisk pace but not so brisk as to give them reason for suspicion. He replied to their greetings as politely as he could before dashing through the front door and out of sight. He let out a long sigh and slowly shuffled his way through to his new room and collapsed back onto his bed, not even bothered about getting himself showered first. He just wanted the earth beneath his to swallow him up and save him the trouble of dealing with his problems. He knew that he couldn't avoid them forever and that sooner or later, he would have to deal with them. But thankfully that time wasn't now. Hauling himself up and off of the soft and inviting mattress of his bed, he made his way through to the bathroom, pausing only to grab a towel. He turned on the water and stepped under, it was heavenly after so long with the sun beating down on him to finally feel his body cool under the torrent and allow his muscles to relax. For just a few precious minutes, it calmed his mind and made his troubles fade away until only the soothing sensation of the water rushing over him.

* * *

"I'm telling you something isn't right." Weiss spoke with an authoritative tone. It hadn't escaped her attention of course that her team's leader had been avoiding them these past couple of days. It was something which the young Schnee couldn't let stand especially if it ultimately effected their team dynamic and even more importantly, their grades. Yet her two female teammates hadn't seemed to have noticed.

"I'm sure he's fine, it's probably that he's just tired. You've seen how hard he's been working to help fix the town." Pyrrha replied, though her voice sounded far away and distant as she soaked up the heat from the sun. Of course Pyrrha had noticed the sudden lack of her leader, and in truth she had found it quite disconcerting. She had hoped, not knowing that Ruby had also kissed him, that he might have come to speak with her after the battle was over but he hadn't. Was it that she didn't see it as a gesture of romance? The redhead certainly hoped not, she had poured a lot into that kiss and truly hoped that he knew of her affections. Perhaps she was putting too much thought into it? Maybe he really was just busying himself with jobs to help out around the town, this was his home after all.

"Well... he has seemed a little quieter since the Grimm came but he did know a lot of the people that... y'know..." Ruby chimed in as she finished refitting the gas parts back into her sniper rifle, taking great care to ensure they fitted snugly and didn't shift. Ruby too, had noticed the absence of her leader but was loathe to be the one to actually bring it up to him, the way she saw it, he was coping with a lot of emotions right now and would probably come see her after he had gotten through it. She didn't want him to feel pressure but at the same time, she hoped that he might come to speak with her about it all. He was always so supportive, perhaps it was her turn to repay the favour.

"No, I'm telling you that it's something else... something he isn't telling us and I'm going to find out what." She announced, dropping the flower she had been studying onto the grass and heading for the door. She made straight for his room and didn't even bother granting him the courtesy of knocking. He was going to tell her what she wanted to know and he was going to do it now.

* * *

Jaune was feeling far more calm and relaxed as he finally emerged from the bathroom again and made his way into his room once more. What he wasn't expecting was to find a thoroughly angry looking heiress waiting for him. The fierce look in Weiss' eyes told him that this wasn't going to be just another friendly chat, that look was reserved only for the few times that she was genuinely bothered and fed up with someone or something. In this case, it seemed a fair bet that she was after him. Realising that perhaps she might not have seen him, he attempted to back out of the room slowly but before he got a single step, she turned and fixed him with an icy glare from those two cold blue eyes.

"I don't know where you think you're going exactly Arc, I think you had best sit yourself down because you aren't going anywhere until you have told me exactly what I want to know and I would not advise lying to me unless you want to end up frozen solid for the next month." Jaune listened to her words, they were not an idle threat, he knew her well enough to know that much. With a soft sigh and a nod, he obediently moved over and sat on the edge of the bed before looking up at her with expectant eyes for her first line of questioning, it was not all that long in coming.

"What is going on? Why are you avoiding us? And don't try and tell me that you haven't been because it is really clear that you have." Her tone was resolute and left him with no visible way to avoid her questions. He thought for a long moment on how best to answer her questions, with a sigh he gave in trying to wriggle around it and opted to simply tell her.

"What I'm about to tell you stays strictly between us." His voice was soft and shaky as he began. He paused a moment and waited for her to nod her agreement to his terms, once she had given it he continued. "I-I'm lost Weiss... Hopelessly lost. Something has happened in these last few days, beyond the Grimm coming here. D-do you remember right before I went out to face that thing that Pyrrha k-kissed me?" He finished, beginning to stammer.

"Yes, I thought it was a little... unconventional but given the situation I let it go. What of it?"

"Well... She wasn't the only one of our teammates to... do that. Ruby also kinda did the same thing... right before the sirens sounded. And now well... I guess I don't know what to do. All my life up until now I had never kissed a girl or ever even had a girl show interest in me and now out of the blue two girls have appeared and they're two of my best friends... I mean what should I do?!"

Weiss paused once again for a long moment as she considered the gravity of her hapless leader's situation. It was certainly a complicated matter, had there only been one of the girls after him then perhaps things might have been a little simpler but with there being two of them she could understand his problem perhaps a little better than most. She racked her brain for a solution, a single finger tapping against her lips as she thought.

"And how do you feel about them?" She asked slowly, it seemed the logical place to begin.

"Well that's just it, I don't know. I mean, I like them both as my friends a-and they're certainly both attractive in their own ways but... I don't know how I really feel. Whenever I try and think to work it out I just end up more confused than when I started. I know I can't keep avoiding them but I wouldn't know what to say to them both. It's all such a mess."

* * *

"So that's why he's been so distant lately..." Pyrrha whispered to the younger girl beside her. Unbeknownst to either Weiss nor their blonde leader, both the champion and the little reaper had snuck in after Weiss and hidden just beyond the door so that they might hear what the two were saying. It had certainly proved an interesting listen for the both of them, not least for Pyrrha. The red-head had always suspected that Ruby might have harboured feelings for the blonde but she had no idea that the shy rose had actually taken steps to express them. It would seem that there was to be competition to winning Jaune's heart after all.

Pyrrha couldn't deny that she felt some guilt for Jaune's situation. Since she was the second to make her affections known, it seemed only logical to assume that it was her kiss that confused him. With a sigh she wondered whether or not it had been such a good idea after all. For her it had been a spur of the moment decision yet over the course of the last two days that one moment had been playing itself over and over again in her head and every time it did her heart would skip a beat and she would be filled with a peculiar warming sensation, one that she couldn't identify no matter how hard she tried.

It was a similar story for the Rose crouched beside her. The kiss that she had shared with the lovable blonde had been her first and just thinking about it left her weak at the knees. Of course she felt bad that Jaune was so confused by everything but to her it only meant that she would have to try harder to win his affections for her own. Surely that wouldn't be such a difficult task? After all, he had definitely kissed her back and that must have meant something. The inside of the room felt silent of her two teammates' voices leaving both Ruby and Pyrrha to scramble back outside and try and take their original positions again. Pyrrha laying in the sun and basking in its radiance while Ruby focused on the reconstruction of Crescent Rose.

Shortly after, Weiss came back outside with Jaune following closely behind, much to the surprise of the two girls. With a slight smile, the heiress took to her seat once again and placed down a small leather bound book. She drew a pencil from a compartment and flicked to an empty page wherein she began idly sketching, content to be alone with her thoughts for a while. She had a great deal to think about after hearing the knight's tale. Chuckling slightly she shook her head. He really was in an awkward position with no real sign of a way out any time soon. Still, as long as it didn't effect their team in a negative way she was perfectly content to stay well out of it.

Jaune lay himself out on the grass and opened the book that he had brought with him, it was one of his favourites from right back when he was little. It told of high adventure, mystery and thwarting the bad guys. To many, it may have seemed like such a simple story alike countless others but he didn't care. He flicked through the well worn pages as his eyes scanned the lines, every page had its own distinct mark and a unique musty scent, the kind which only come from old and well-read books. Jaune honestly believed that having read it so many times he could have recited it from memory alone. Yet despite how much he tried, his mind was in another place entirely from the words on the page, his thoughts wandered again and again through his mental profiles for both Pyrrha and Ruby. He considered every aspect of their personality in the hopes of working out just how it was that he felt for each of them. Who would have thought that their mission would go along such a strange path, he could only hope that Blake and her team were having more luck with theirs.

* * *

As it turned out, they were. Tonight was the night that they were set to strike, Blake's whole body trembled in her anticipation. Two days, two long and dull days they had sat up in their office block and watched the entrance to the White Fang's hideout. In that two days they had studied and mapped out their various patrol patterns leaving nothing to chance and after what had felt like an eternity they were finally ready to move in and shut down whatever trouble the terrorist organisation were brewing. Of course, in the days since they had begun their stakeout Blake had spent a great deal of time mulling over her... encounter with the blonde brawler and had agreed with the bombshell that they would discuss it once the mission was over, an idea to which Yang had thankfully agreed. So now all that remained was to wait for the right time.

They had planned to make their play as soon as the first evening patrol left at around seven thirty, they would move in and neutralise it, using their uniforms to gain entrance to the base through force if necessary. From there they aimed to find the command centre and shut it down completely under the theory that by cutting off the head of the snake, the body would perish shortly thereafter. If possible they were to apprehend Roman Torchwick and any of his known accomplices. Blake had to admit, it was a solid plan that the professor had concocted and she liked even more the possibility of a run-in with Torchwick, an opportunity to bring a major threat to Vale crashing down. There was unfinished business there that she had to resolve. A malicious smile crossed her face as she imagined what their confrontation might be like. Blake gave a brief check on Nora, ensuring that the hyperactive Valkyrie was still awake on watch. Seeing that she was, the faunus closed her eyes and relaxed to doze. Just four and a half hours to go.

* * *

Blake was brought back to consciousness by someone gently shaking her by the shoulder. Her brilliant, luminous eyes flickered open to be met with the face of her partner. Behind the brawlers tangled locks the sky was growing dark, the sun beginning to set shooting streaks of orange across the sky. The look in Yang's bright lilac eyes told Blake all that she needed to know. It was time. Climbing to her feet, she rolled her shoulders and flexed her muscles, shaking off the shackles of sleep. All around her the members of her team did the same as they checked over their various equipment. The whole camp had come alive in a matter of minutes as the final preparations were made. Blake could feel her impatience grow as they all made their way down the flights of stairs to the ground floor and waited for their opening. Not one of them could remain still, the anticipation of what was about to happen had sunk into them. Even Oobleck seemed off, the usual bright spark having vanished from his eyes.

Peeking around a corner, Blake stared at the battered doorway just as she had for the previous few days. Her fingers tapped idly against her thigh as minute after minute went by, until at exactly seven thirty the door was opened and two figures stepped out with rifles in hand. The signature logo of the White Fang stood out proudly upon the back of their jerseys as they began their patrol. Once they had passed out of sight and Blake was certain that they were out of earshot the five of them broke cover and darted across the opening towards the door and set off after them. They relocated the two person patrol a block away and launched their attack.

Team BRNY ducked from cover to cover as they moved closer and closer before finally they shot out and stuck with the speed and ferocity of a viper, quickly subduing both and rendering them unconscious. They bound the two patrol men hand and foot before dragging them off into one of the buildings and left them there relieving them of their uniforms. Blake and Yang donned them and after ensuring that the two faunus wouldn't prove to be an issue they made their way back to the door cautiously. That was phase one down and complete without any complications, it had been a necessary step to follow them a fair way from their home base due to the heightened hearing of most faunus so as to reduce the risk of someone hearing the skirmish. Dressed in the White Fang uniforms, Blake and Yang led the way back to the steel door and knocked loudly in the same pattern they had observed the previous days even as the others hid out of sight.

The slat set into the face of the door slid back with a loud clack to reveal one of the masks of the White Fang, a pair of beady eyes peering through the gaps suspiciously. He looked at the two girls for a long while as though waiting for an explanation. Down at her sides, Blake's hands began to twitch and fidget. The whole principle of subterfuge depended on the doorman not paying too much attention to the patrols that left. Even in uniforms, hairstyles like Yang's tended to draw attention. If the doorman began to pay too much attention then the whole plan would be ruined and they would have a much more difficult fight on their hands.

"Sorry Brother, my partner here left something behind, the idiot wants to come grab it." C Blake spoke in as calm a voice as she possibly could, anything short of perfection was bound to raise suspicion. The doorman studied them both for a couple of moments before he grunted and opened the door for them a crack. Both women slipped inside and waited for the door to slam shut. The two found themselves in a dark corridor that seemed to extend down into the very bowels of the earth itself. Single bulbs hung from the ceiling at regular intervals and provided the only light. Turning to her side, Blake got her first real look at the doorman.

He was a tall individual, and judging by the large teeth protruding from under his lip and the large bushy tail behind him, he was a faunus with the attributes of a squirrel. Despite his rather shrewd and inhospitable exterior, the smaller details told a fair amount about his personality. His tail was about as well groomed as Yang's hair, every hair upon it was in its place and not one was out of line. Clearly this was someone who took great pride in their faunus nature and so what they were about to do pained Blake a great deal. Taking a few steps she peered into the gloom for any sign of other brothers and sisters of the White Fang. When she could detect none, and had double checked for any surveillance she turned and nodded to her partner. Almost immediately the squirrel tailed doorman began to grow skittish and look at them with more and more suspicion. His beady little eyes flicked down the tunnel but any hopes of escape were cut short as Yang stepped forward, her gauntlets whirring to life. The blonde popped her knuckles and rolled her shoulders. The faunus looked at her with growing terror and was about to bolt when Yang's fist met with his nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch and slammed him back into the wall. His beady eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp under the blanket of unconsciousness.

Blake stepped past his body to the door and let in the remainder of their party. One by one her two teammates and the professor stepped into the gloom of the passageway. Oobleck took a single look at the collapsed faunus and looked down at his feet, an expression of distaste painted across his features, though his eyes showed that he knew it had to be done. Once they were all inside and adjusted to the poorly lit conditions, they began their descent into the dark below.

Blake took point and led her team down the tunnel. She could feel it sloping off and away at a steady rate, taking them further and further into the earth. As they walked on the air became noticeably more and more stale as it hung deathly still without so much as a draft. She could feel a touch of claustrophobia setting in as they moved on, the walls and ceiling remaining a steady constant, unchanging no matter how far they went.

After what had seemed an eternity but may have only been a mere minute, they came to the end of the tunnel. Another doorway, the door long since having been torn from its hinges. It opened out into what appeared to be a gigantic cavern or so it might have seemed until Blake's eyes adjusted to the new-found darkness and began to pick out the ruins of buildings among the gloom. An entire city under the surface but... why?

"The ruins of Mountain Glen..." Oobleck whispered from behind her, seemingly reading her thoughts. "Mountain Glen was one of the first major expansions of Vale, this is fairly common knowledge. Yet what isn't often known is just how this city came to be abandoned. The surface world was constructed as the first major step, however without many of the natural barriers and military defences which the central kingdom had, Mountain Glen was condemned before it was built. Repeated Grimm incursions on the surface forced the people underground and into the natural caverns below wherein the people cut off all contact with the surface and began anew. Tunnels were dug through to Vale itself to provide supplies and a means of transport for the workers but one day while extending the network, a cavern was breached that was filled with subterranean Grimm. They flooded the city, killing thousands in a matter of hours and devastating the population. The Vale council voted to seal the tunnels to contain the Grimm but also sealed in thousands of innocent men women and children, turning this place into a city sized tomb..."

Blake listened to the Professor's lesson and felt her stomach knot up at the fate of the original settlers. She knew that the Grimm will have torn them apart without mercy or even a second thought. A solitary tear ran down her cheek and fell to the concrete under her feet, no-one deserves to perish in such a horrific manner, being hunted down as little more than an animal. Wiping her eyes and taking a slow, deep breath she reigned in her emotions once more and adopted her usual impassive expression again. Turning her attentions back to the city she saw for the first time small areas of light, lit up by what she could just about make out as being portable generators attached to floodlights. In these little spheres of light she could just about make out figures moving to and fro carrying large crates whose contents she couldn't discern.

Moving off from the doorway, there was a large metal staircase running down to the cave floor, seemingly the tunnel that they had just come from had only been a maintenance tunnel, built to support scavenger runs to the surface for salvage as well as an emergency escape route in the most dire of circumstances. Leading the way, Blake stepped cautiously down onto the first of the steps, lowering her weight onto it slowly so as to test it. Whilst it was true that the White Fang had been using them regularly, she felt that caution was probably the best course of action. The metal creaked ominously under her foot but otherwise held. Content that the first step was solid enough, Blake continued on at a slightly faster pace, growing less and less wary about the structural integrity of the stair and instead focusing on the task that lie ahead. Once they reached the bottom it was a race against the clock to determine what the White Fang were planning and put an end to it. Their time frame was limited by just how long the doorman remained unconscious as well as when the next patrol arrived back in a little over an hour. Once the alarm was raised all hell would break loose and they would have to be ready for it.

Their feet touched down on the solid rock of the cavern floor before long, they were a short way off from the first buildings. They paused for a moment to steel themselves before heading out once again. They crossed the distance to the city ruins relatively quickly, their need for stealth giving way to a necessity for speed. Their footfalls echoed around the ruins as they made their way along the street and past the first few lit areas. Every single one that they passed was a similar story. Piles and piles of crates and military equipment, all being loaded up onto forklifts and shipped away towards the centre of the city. Though for what purpose remained a mystery.

Block by block team BRNY advanced, pausing now and then to duck out of the sight of patrols or vehicles shipping supplies between various areas. On more than one occasion they were nearly caught by sharp eyed faunus only to hide just in time. The further into the city they went, the more lit areas that they seemed to be yet still all the traffic kept moving deeper in. It wasn't for a full half hour of following after the crate transporters that they found the nerve centre. An old abandoned train station in the middle of a gigantic plaza. Truck after truck was arriving, laden with the crates from the lit zones. They were all offloaded and taken off towards the main platform.

Team BRNY advanced slowly, ducking behind containers and stacks of crates all marked with the snowflake of the Schnee Dust Company. Blake solemnly hoped that they weren't full, or the White Fang were literally sat on the biggest bomb that Vale would ever see. All seemed to be going well as the five of them crept up and onto the central platform ducking behind whatever cover was available to them. Before them was a busy station with a single train in place. It was made up of numerous boxcars into which the crates were being loaded, every one of them packed out with dust.

Even as they looked on a familiar voice rang out as a tall man with bright orange hair poking out from under a hat, dressed in a long white coat and holding a cane. Roman Torchwick. He stood over a smaller faunus, shouting a mixture of abuse and slurs at them in a way that made Blake's blood boil. A grand reward must have been promised in order for the White Fang to follow him, just what that reward was though, Blake had no idea.

"We need to investigate that train..." Oobleck whispered to the members of team BRNY. Blake was about to make a move when alarms blared out around them as a single faunus sprinted onto the platform, puffing and blowing after having clearly run a long way. Blake recognised him by his tail as being the doorman from earlier.

"Intruders!" He cried out in desperation, blood encrusted the tip of his nose and all of his upper lip. Blood trickled from around his wrists where his bindings had cut into him as he fought to escape them. Just how fanatical was this guy? "Intruders in the cavern!" came his voice again.

"What?! How did you let them past?" Torchwick demanded, stepping over to the diminutive guard.

"T-they were disguised... they caught me off guard... I-I'm sorry!" The young faunus spoke almost pleadingly. Torchwick looked at him for a long moment before raising his cane and striking him across the face, his nose broke with a sickening crunch even as blood began to pour from his nostrils.. The faunus fell to his knees only for the cane to strike him again and again until he was left curled up into a ball unconscious and bleeding from several wounds to his head. Yet the master criminal didn't seem to care, there was no remorse in his eyes nor his actions. He simply turned away, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping away the blood which had spattered across is pale face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen let this be a lesson to you that I will not tolerate failure now pack up the train! We are leaving! And will someone please clean up that mess!"

Blake watched in horror as the bruised and beaten faunus was dragged away, his body limp in the arms of two others. Guilt welled up inside her knowing that it was she and her team that had caused him to suffer so needlessly. It wasn't fair! He hadn't done anything wrong! She was drawn from her thoughts by a firm hand on her shoulder. Turning, she was met with the eyes of the professor.

"Blake, I know you may feel guilty for that man, but don't. He made his choice in joining the White Fang and he knew what the potential consequences were. Many more people may have suffered if we didn't do what we did and there will be time to grieve for those that have suffered but that is not now."

Blake looked at him in slight shock, unsure of what to make of the professor's words. Were they meant to be comforting or only rationalise the guilt? It left a bitter taste in her mouth either way. Fixing her intense golden eyes on the Professor, with only one single question upon her lips.

"What must we do?"

"Right now... we need to get on that train."

* * *

**I truly hope that you enjoyed that. It might have been a little off from my usual work but I'll put that down to not having written for a long time. Like I say, I am looking forward to getting back into the plot. If you liked this please do favourite and follow. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the reviews or PM me. **

**Also would like to throw out a little plug for my Tumblr blog, under the same name. Check that out for my collaborated projects. Many thanks and as always, I will see you all next week in the next chapter.**


	17. Through the Fire and Flames

**Ah dammit, I meant to upload this yesterday but I totally forgot. Awfully sorry everyone. Without any further ado here is the latest chapter, enjoy :)**

* * *

It was mere moments before the once deserted platform became a hive of activity, hundreds of boots drumming against the cracked stone beneath them. Inside Blake could feel her heart sink, with so many of the White Fang around, stealth would no longer be an option. They would be left with no choice other than fighting through to board the train, fighting people that she would one have called her brothers and sisters in arms. It was entirely wrong yet unavoidably necessary. With a sigh she drew her weapon and readied herself. The tip of Gambol Shroud's blade quivered a scant inch from the paved platform underfoot as her hands trembled.

All around her she could hear her friends readying themselves, the rasp and clicks as Ren reloaded Stormflower with a fresh magazine. The series of mechanical whirs as both Yang's beloved gauntlets, Ember Celica and Nora's hammer Magnhild unfolded to their full length. A slight smile touched to Blake's lips as she imagined the head of Nora's mighty hammer poking out over the top of the crates they were hiding behind. Yet there was one sound that she was not entirely familiar with met with her ears and left them twitching under her bow. It was also a series of clicks but there was something else, it sounded similar to the fuel injection system of an engine. Turning her head she was met with Oobleck's weapon for the first time and had to take a deep breath to stop herself from laughing.

He was crouched behind her cradling his signature Thermos of coffee, yet it wasn't in its usual guise. From the base had sprouted a long staff fully four feet long, and the lip of the container had pulled back to reveal a small nozzle from which a small flame burned in bright contrast to their surroundings. It seemed so very obvious that it would be his Thermos which would serve as his weapon, so obvious that she should have seen it before. Yet despite all of these thoughts and a brief visual scan of the weapon, she was still struggling to tell just what it was that his weapon did, seemingly it was some form of fire based weapon but beyond that she simply didn't know. Once she had quelled her amusement again and steeled her nerves, the golden eyed faunus turned to Oobleck with a look of some expectancy.

Sorrow seemed to cross Oobleck's eyes for an instant as he considered the ramifications of what they were about to do, he knew that whatever happened people were going to die and yet somehow he still had the strength to carry on and do what needed to be done. It would not do to bow out now, untold numbers of people were depending on them to step in and stop whatever plot Torchwick and his criminal band had in store for the innocent population of Vale. He locked eyes with the young huntress to be and recalled his own experiences at her age, his first assignment. Those had been much easier times, times without such uncertainty and fear. Steeling his nerves and taking a drink of bitter coffee from his Thermos he gave a sharp nod to the four teenagers around him.

It didn't take long for everything to become a mass of confusion. Yang loudly announced their entrance by slamming a fist into the crates which they had previously been hidden behind. A loud report rang out as a shotgun shell discharged from her beloved Ember Celica, spitting fire out infront of her and reducing the crates to mere splinters. After that, all descended into a mass of chaos as the five of them fought with a hitherto unseen ferocity towards the train ahead. Blake lost herself in the feverish joy of battle, her sword singing as it cut through the air, each carefully calculated swing meeting with the members of the White Fang whom were bold enough to make a move against her. The harsh sounds of clashing steel and gunfire echoed around the abandoned city ominously, doubling the cacophony of sound around them and threatening to perforate their ears.

Off to her sides, Blake caught the occasional glimpse of her companions as the fight went on, looping swings of Nora's hammer connecting with bodies in the throng of White Fang brothers and sisters around them. Every hit threatening to send their victims into orbit. With her heightened senses, Blake could just about discern the crunches and cracks of shattering bones as Magnild reduced skeletons to powder. Yet perhaps most disturbing of all, the thing which truly sent shivers running up and down her spine was the sheer look of glee on the Valkyrie's face. She enjoyed battle, she loved the thrill of conflict and it showed.

On and on Blake fought, her movements running on little more than instinct at this point. The train was drawing steadily closer and closer yet their pace was nowhere near what was required. At the very front of the string of cars Blake could make out an aged locomotive painted with a faded maroon paint, a huge column of thick black smoke rising from its smoke stack as the ancient machine began to build up a head of steam. They were running out of time and if they didn't hurry, they would surely run out of time.

"Nora! Earthquake!" Blake bellowed in an authoritative tone as she struggled to be heard over the harsh sounds of battle around them. Seemingly her team heard the command as the Valkyrie leapt into the air and towards Yang. The brawler was ready in wait, her hands already having formed a stirrup in preparation. Just like a well oiled machine, Nora's foot found its place in the brawler's hands and immediately she was launched straight up into the air. The Valkyrie's giggles could be heard as she somersaulted over and over, spinning around with her hammer held out. Blake was left to brace herself as the Valkyrie's arc met its peak and she began to descend gaining speed. She brought her hammer round in one final swing and slammed it into the station's platform. The slabs underfoot were wrenched from their place as huge cracks spread out in a cobweb fashion as splinters of rock flew up in a cloud of dust. The whole world seemed to shake and tremble underfoot under the might of Magnhild. The surrounding members of the White Fang found themselves staggered under the might of the Valkyrie, leaving them in disarray. Blake and her team seized their opportunity and darted forward, putting on a burst of speed and leaping onto the side of the train. So far so good.

* * *

Jaune double checked his things for what must have been the sixtieth time, making sure that he had everything. Once contented that he had rounded up everything that he had brought with him he took care in nearly folding it and packing it all up into his old kitbag with a smile. It was far from a genuine smile and never reached his eyes. In truth he wasn't all that keen on leaving his home again for the chilly mountaintops of Vale. Yet with everyone in Avalon all working together, the majority of repairs had been completed within only a couple of days. With the repairs done, Jaune and his team no longer had an excuse to stick around and, despite his protests, they were once again due to head back to Beacon academy.

It was a few more moments before he was contented with both the balance and distribution of weight within his pack. All of the essentials were within easy reach should he need them. With a sigh and a heavy heart, he made his way through into the hallway and dumped his bags before heading through into the kitchen. His Mom was stood by one of the counters, preparing numerous sandwiches for their trip. The blonde knight smiled, it was just like her to do something so kind and he couldn't deny it would inevitably lighten the mood for their trip. Ruby did, after all, get grouchy when hungry.

"When does Dad come home?" Jaune asked as he entered the room, slightly startling his mother.

"Well, his last message said that he should be back in the next couple of days." She replied, never once taking her eyes off what she was doing. "I'm sorry Jauney... I know you wanted to see him and your sisters but they are Hunter and huntresses, their lives are dedicated to helping fight off the Grimm just like you and your team did. He was so proud when I told him..."

"Really?" Jaune cringed internally, he hadn't meant to sound quite so desperate for approval but he had seen his dad so rarely in recent years that even the slightest scraps of information from him were the most valuable things in the world.

"Yes really, I told him everything that had happened here and how you were leading a fantastic team. He said that nothing had made him happier." She replied with a wide smile, pausing in her activities and turning to face him for a moment. Jaune smiled and took a few steps, closing the gap between himself and his mother before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a long hug. Just knowing that his parents were so proud of him left him with a warm feeling in his heart, a warm feeling which would not easily be extinguished. His mother held him for some time until a soft 'ahem' from the blonde leader's teammates, stood in the doorway, brought the two of them back down to earth. Jaune pulled away, tears still rolling down his cheeks. He knew that the time was coming that he would have to leave home once again to return to Beacon academy and his busy life therein. Just having hugged his Mom for a few minutes had reminded him all over again of exactly what he would be missing. It was torturous.

His Mom seemed to realise what it was that was going on in her little knight's head. Reaching out, she gently cupped his cheeks in her cold hands with a tenderness that only a mother could show. Her green eyes lit up as she smiled sweetly at her son. Using her thumbs, she deftly swept away any traces of the tears which mere moments before had been clinging to his cheeks before leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.

"Don't fret Jaune, you'll be back home before you know it. I have our Marron to keep me company so I wont be alone. You are needed at Beacon, the world needs both you and your team. Be strong now, just like you were when you first left. Steel yourself, keep your head up and don't look back." Mabelle spoke with a tone of authority that made it clear to his teammates just where Jaune had inherited his leadership skills from, he had grown up under one of the best leaders in remnant, a woman capable of leading a family through thick and thin whilst successfully reigning in seven daughters and a son. There were few that could boast such an accolade without the support of another as Mabelle had done. Jaune steeled himself and wiped his cheeks clear of any tears before giving his Mom a semi-confident smile. He nodded to her and turned to face his team again.

"Is everyone ready for the return journey? Anything left here will take months to get back to you so make sure nothing is forgotten." His voice sounded weak and broken still after having allowed his emotions to flow free. His teammates all gave him a nod to assure him that they had indeed checked and double checked their equipment numerous times, likely under the ever watchful eyes of the Schnee heiress. It never failed to amuse Jaune just how organised Weiss was, watching her pack her backs according to a specific checklist of items so as to insure that nothing could possibly be left out. In many ways he found it to be an enviable quality since she was never short on equipment during live training exercises whereas both he and Ruby had often been caught without particularly important yet easily forgettable items.

With a final look over at his Mom, Jaune nodded and signalled for his teammates to step into the hallway before following after them. He watched as the three girls gathered their bags and took a step to retrieve his own. Quite suddenly the air was knocked out of him and the whole world span as he was tackled to the ground. He hit the ground and finally saw that the one whom had tackled him was Marron. She had him wrapped in a tight hug, her hands feeling like bands of steel around his torso. She buried her face in his chest, warm tears soaking the front of his hoodie as she cried softly. Jaune cradled her head into his chest and rubbed her back soothingly, he spoke softly to her though his voice wavered with barely contained emotion.

"Hey little one, it's alright. I'm not going to be gone for too long, I'll be back before you know it and we can hang out again." He smiled warmly as she looked up at him with her deep and beautiful brown eyes. They sparkled brilliantly through a film of tears as Jaune leant forward to whisper to her "Perhaps if you're good, and Mom says it's okay, you can come and stay with us during the tournament. Pyrrha is competing don't you know, and Weiss' family are real important so maybe we can get front row tickets to all the matches."

Marron's little face lit up at the suggestion, her eyes rocketing to look at both Weiss and Pyrrha. Both the girls smiled back and nodded, each saying something about arranging just that. It was no secret that Weiss in particular had taken a liking to Jaune's one and only younger sister, indeed, Marron's sweet nature and big brown eyes seemed to have melted the Ice Queen's frozen heart as the two had seldom been apart during the few days that their team had been stationed in Avalon. After the fighting had finished, Marron had spent the days with the three girls, helping them with their jobs and often asking Weiss about what her home in Atlas was like. It was the first that any of them had seen of Weiss opening up as she told of the lush gardens and beautiful views from her family's grand estate.

With Marron seemingly cheered back up and filled with hope, Jaune climbed back to his feet and stepped over to his bags just as Port came down the stairs from the room he had been staying in. He had his own neat pack on his shoulders with the handle of his Blunderbax hovering just over his right shoulder, seemingly ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. Given what had happened during the incursion, Jaune seriously doubted that that would ever be the case. With the help of his sister, Jaune shouldered his own rucksack, adjusting the straps to better distribute the weight across his shoulders. His Mom stepped through from the kitchen and handed him a small bag with enough sandwiches in it for the five of them. With a final nod of thanks, he belted Crocea Mors around his waist, glad to have its familiar weight hung from his hip again. Whenever he took the sword off, he always felt almost incomplete as though a part of him were missing.

Content that his weapon was hanging properly he reached out and rested his hand on the door handle. He paused for a moment to steel himself again before twisting it and opening the door, stepping outside and beginning his way down the path to the gate. His team fell into single file behind him as they all walked with shuffling steps. Every one of them had a heavy heart as they walked away and down the road, the Arc residence had become much like a home away from home for all of them during their short stay. Even Weiss whom seemed to have been against the idea of their staying there, seemed to have warmed to the place. The blonde knight couldn't help but wonder if she had been won over by the simplistic style of living that he had grown up with, it certainly presented a contrast from the vast manors which she must have grown used to living in back in Atlas.

The five hunters and huntresses headed off down the road. Turning around, Jaune stopped to cast one last forlorn glance at his home. He could already feel the heavy pit of homesickness forming within his stomach. He took a deep breath and turned away, jogging slightly to catch up with his teammates and Professor Port whom was unusually subdued and quiet. The five of them walked in silence the whole way back to the area they had first landed in. Just as they did, a Bullhead aircraft came out of the sky, touching down in front of them in a whirlwind of dust and dead leaves. Right on time.

One by one, the five of them removed their kit bags and threw them onboard before climbing on after them. Jaune went first and offered a hand to the remaining members of their group, each of them offering their own mumbled thanks which the blonde struggled to hear over the engines. It seemed that perhaps he wasn't the only one that would miss the place. Even as he thought about it, the doors were closed and he was forced to find his seat. Once again he found himself sat at Pyrrha's side along the port side of the craft with both Weiss and Ruby. Opposite them sat the portly Professor, still silent. Even once the aircraft had taken off, he remained thus seemingly tackling some form of dilemma.

Jaune watched the Professor intently as the minutes ticked by and his teammates slowly drifted off to sleep, the red haired champion falling asleep and slumping onto his shoulder again with the same peaceful expression as last time. He broke eye contact with Port for a moment to look down at her. With a smile he took pause to sweep a stray hair out of her face. His gaze then fell onto his other two teammates, Weiss and Ruby had fallen asleep on one another forming an arch of mutual support. Ruby was curled right up to the heiress' side whilst Weiss herself slept with the same look of composure and dignity that she always carried. Just as he was about to return his attentions to the teacher, the older man's voice broke the silence in the cabin. It was loud enough to be heard over the engines yet quiet enough so as not to disturb the three sleeping teenagers.

"Mr Arc... I need to discuss something with you." It was a simple statement yet it was more than enough to set Jaune on edge. It was... unsettling in the least.

"What is it Professor?" He replied.

"What happened back in Avalon... with the Night-Fury. I feel as though I owe you an apology. I failed in my duties as your assigned huntsman. You have every right to report me for such cowardice upon our return however I feel that before you do, I should at least explain why I behaved like I did." The famed Professor Port had lost all of the confidence and arrogance which he would ordinarily have carried himself with, instead there only seemed to be what Jaune could describe as 'the real Port'. He didn't reply and instead waited for the brash Professor to continue.

"Well... That is not the first time I have ever encountered that Grimm Mr Arc. In my work as a huntsman, I have killed hundreds of Grimm of all different kinds. None of them ever really held any fear for me, they were beasts that I had to kill... If I didn't then it was possible that they might kill someone innocent. Yet the Night-Fury is a Grimm that haunts only my darkest nightmares and throws me into the icy clutches of incapacitating terror. The cause of this terror is an event from long ago and is indeed the reason that I chose to become a huntsman. When I was very young, around the same age as young Marron is, my family and I lived in a small town in Atlas. It was a town which prided itself on its sense of community, every member helping one another and sharing the load among themselves. I lived with my mother and my older brother, both were people whom I loved more dearly than any other on the face of the earth." The Professor's voice began to crack and tears were already rolling down his cheeks yet still he continued on even as Jaune began to listen with renewed interest.

"My Mother was as far as I can remember the most kind of women, she would never speak badly of anyone nor would she shout. My brother was my role model, the father-figure whom I had been looking up to in the absence of a father. He was always there to offer me guidance and his wisdom with whatever issues I may have had... That was until one day the sirens rang out. I can remember it so vividly. It was a bright summer afternoon with the sun shining, my mother had brought both my brother and I to the town's market when they sounded. Everything around us became panic and chaos as the towns people all made a dash for the town shelter. My mother took my hand in hers tightly and pulled me along as she and my brother ran through the streets. It was then that we first saw it, even as the columns of people all packed into the streets heading in one direction for what they thought would be safety... it appeared. A great dragon, black as the night is dark with great wings a full fifty feet wide. It rose up in the sky and blocked out the very sun itself casting what seemed to be the whole town in its shadow. It reared back and loosed the very roar that still haunts me to this day and dived straight for us all. I could have sworn that as it did, its eyes were fixed on me, those horrific red eyes... eyes straight from the bowels of the seven hells themselves. There was nothing that we could do, it moved too quickly... and we were too closely packed into that street. In a final desperate action my mother shoved me out of the crowds and down a side alley. I looked back in terror as the last thing I saw was that beast open its maw and loose a torrent of flame incinerating anything in its path. The last I saw of either my mother or brother was her face, smiling in defiance, before she was engulfed in flames... I can still hear the screams... every night when I close my eyes. That is why I ran... That is why I was a coward." Port finished, the whole time he had been speaking, he had been openly sobbing, never taking his eyes off of the steel floor of the cabin as he revisited the crushing pain of the anguish and sorrow of his loss. The blonde had no clue what to say, what was there that he even _could_ say. There were no words that could console a man after such an event, no words that could heal the scars left on a man after witnessing the two individuals he most loved being killed in such an act of senseless violence.

"I still don't know how it was that I survived, I should have died that day and if it hadn't been for the actions of my dear sweet Mother... I would have perished along with so many others." The professor continued between sobs "There were only a handful of the townsfolk left, a few that had made it to shelter. They looked after me as best they could but... there was nothing they could do to stop the night terrors which haunted me every night afterwards... nothing they could do to help me out of the crushing abyss of my own loss... Seeing such wanton destruction changed something in me, I never wanted anyone to feel such loss as I had, such fear. I swore to devote my life to killing these monsters, yet when the moment came I couldn't even stand against the very beast that had taken my mother from me. I-I saw it there in the sky and everything came flooding back. I was nothing but a child, a child before the storm..."

Jaune paused for a long moment, looking at the proud man reduced to tears in front of him. It was a shocking visage to see someone brought so low by something so horrific. In his mind, the blonde considered just how it might have been that he would have acted if both Marron and his Mom had been taken by so big a Grimm when he was only little and deep down, he knew that he would have been even worse than the professor had been. In truth he was impressed that Port had managed to hold himself together so well all these years, driven by the single-minded determination to get stronger and prevent something so shocking and horrific from ever happening to another. He simply couldn't condemn a man that had been through so much.

"P-Professor..." He began nervously "I'm not going to report this... I mean everyone makes mistakes. I-It was only my team that kept me fighting that thing... If it hadn't been for them I would have run too. That thing was the most scary thing I had ever seen and I-I don't blame you. I have no idea what it's like to lose so many people like that but I don't think I could have done half of what you did...I-It can be our little secret." Jaune finished and offered a weak smile to the professor.

Port looked at him with a mixture of surprise, awe and perhaps even respect. Ozpin had been right, this young Arc boy had the spirit and attitude of a great hunter, just like his father had before him and his grandfather before that.

"Thank you Jaune... I cannot tell you... Just what it means to me for you to say this. Your family would be proud of having raised the young man that you have become. You will make a fine hunter one day Mr Arc... with your team at your side I have no doubt."

Jaune smiled, a hint of pride growing within him as he looked at the professor. Behind him, the sun shone through their craft's port holes. The blonde watched the sky drift by as he wondered just how his team would react to his decision. Somehow he doubted that they would approve yet it wasn't a matter of approval. It was one of morality and doing what was right. For Jaune that meant forgiving Port... The four of them had come out of it alive and though some of the town guard had fallen, Jaune couldn't blame their deaths on the Professor, nor did he believe that they might have been prevented by his helping he and his team fight off the beast. No, a measure of mercy was what the blonde believed to be necessary.

* * *

Broken lighting whipped past overhead as Blake and her team climbed up and onto the roof of their train car. Back inside were yet another group of unconscious White Fang members, individuals foolish enough to square up to both team BRNY and the famed Doctor Oobleck. Despite presenting very little in the way of a real challenge, they were certainly a nuisance and slowed them down an awful lot. Yet no matter how many of them came or how strong they were, the small band dealt with them swiftly. But what Blake found troubling was that they had to find even the slightest trace about what the White Fang were doing with a train packed with dust. It simply didn't add up.

An earth-shattering kaboom rang out through the train tunnel, followed by a sudden and forceful wave of pressure which launched them all forwards as a giant fireball bloomed behind them. Many of the White Fang's anguished cries could be heard as a select unlucky few found themselves launched off the side of the train and straight into pipes, old signals and signs. Their mangled bodies flashing past as the train moved on. Behind them, a huge plume of fire followed them before petering out. Blake cried out in total agony as did many of the Fang around them, to her it felt as though someone were stabbing a blade right into her faunus ears. In a desperate attempt she reached her hands up to her bow only to draw back again. It felt oddly... wet... Taking a moment she looked at her fingers to find them slick with blood. She had to quell a wave of panic at the sight before her team dragged her up and onto her feet. They seemed to be shouting something at her but she couldn't hear past the ringing in her ears.

Blake watched on as Yang dashed forward and lifted the hatch on their train car and as she did, Blake saw something which chilled her to the bone. Fear. Yang looked, for the first time since they had met, genuinely terrified. She turned to face the group, eyes wide and shouted something that Blake couldn't make out past the persistent ringing but the next thing she knew Oobleck had slung her over his shoulder and dashed to the end of the car swatting aside the few surviving members of the Fang. Just as he leapt with her to the next car, the one they had just been on detached. Looking back, the leader of team BRNY saw the look of anguish in the White Fang still stood on top of the car. Some of them tried to make the jump only to fall short and hit the tracks below staining them red with blood. The remaining few huddled together on top of the train car that Blake and her team had only just been on. It drifted away, the hopeless looks on their faces. Blake couldn't understand why they looked so down, they were away from the fighting. Surely it was only a small matter of waiting to be rescued.

Then it exploded.

Blake was once again thrown back, the ringing in her ears louder than ever. Weakly she sat up and looked back, tears upon her cheeks as she watched the fireball abate. Light streamed through the dust from a new and gaping hole in the ceiling. Grimm of all kinds poured in, Beowolves, Ursai and Death-Stalkers, hundreds of them. Their eyes glowed a malicious orange in the dim light of the tunnel as every single one of them began thundering after the train. It was even as she watched that it clicked. Torchwick was leading a gigantic horde of Grimm straight for Vale.

"He's leading Grimm to the city!" she yelled. She may not have been able to hear herself but she could feel the strain on her voice. Her teammates seemed to have reached the same conclusion, with a nod Oobleck set Blake on her feet and led the way across the top of the train, forging a path straight for the engine and swatting White Fang members aside. Seemingly he knew what needed to be done. They had to stop the train.

* * *

**So there it is, yet more drama is on its way. I really do hope that you enjoyed this chapter, Im back into my stride again and loving every moment that I can spend writing this tale. If you enjoyed it, please do favourite and follow. I read all the reviews so if you have any suggestions or criticisms don't be afraid to drop them there. Thank you all very much for reading and as always, I've been TheFlagshipArkos and I will see you all in the next chapter.**


	18. A Grimm Nightmare

**Hello everyone, back again. Here is the next chapter, please enjoy.**

* * *

Blake flinched as yet another huge explosion occurred behind her, she felt the pressure wave seconds later and knew that even more Grimm were following them now. This was getting beyond control. Even if somehow they managed to stop the train, something which if she was honest she didn't know if they could do, the question still remained as to whether or not they would be able to kill all of the Grimm that were currently following the train... and there were a lot.

The constant skirmishes with the White Fang had begun to take their toll, Blake's arms were beginning to feel heavier and heavier as it became more difficult to react in time to block various attacks. As a result, her aura was taking more and more of the brunt and she was depleting at an ever increasing rate. They had been fighting for what had felt like days but had only been a couple of hours. In the gloom of the disused tunnels, time had no real presence it was just one long drawn out battle as enemy after enemy stepped up to face them and were cast down.

To make matters worse, Blake's hearing had yet to return properly. While the ringing had faded, everything sounded far away and diminished as though someone had turned down the volume on the world around her. She had to strain to hear anything that her comrades were saying which, in their situation, was not the best of things. She could feel the dried blood from her ears cracking with every sudden movement and fresh trickles of her very life essence flowing down her head.

The game was about to change however as they leapt onto the roof of yet another train car. Only a little way ahead of them was the engine itself, their goal, the one place that they would be able to end this madness once and for all. It seemed to be a clear shot and so Team BRNY stepped up their pace, closing the distance. To Blake it seemed like they might have made it, until she saw a large figure climb up in front of them and block their passage completely. He was a gargantuan, standing well above six feet tall and rippling with muscle. His jersey had no sleeves, them seemingly have been removed to make room for his huge shoulders. His mask was decorated in red tribal patterns and had a large chunk ripped out in front of his bright crimson left eye. Seeing him made Blake's heart sink to her feet.

Their new foe reached up and over his left shoulder revealing a long and crooked scar running from the underside of his wrist up his arm and right up to his shoulder. Things only got worse as he drew his weapon. At first it appeared to be a long and double edged sword, but as the engine started up Blake realised that it was not everything it appeared to be. The edges of the blade began to move, spin. With a feeling of pure dread she realised that it was a chain-sword. Before she could take note of any more of his appearance he began walking towards them, slowly, his boots clacking loudly against the metal roof of the train car. Yet what really frightened Blake, truly chilling her to the core, was that he was laughing. An odd gargling chuckle came from him as though he were choking and laughing all at once, as though the world were just one big joke and only he could see the punchline.

The moment he drew within range he struck with surprising speed, bringing his chain-sword round in a wide arc. Team BRNY hardly had time to react as they were forced to leap back and out of the way of his weapon's deadly bite. Its blade met with the train car's roof in a shower of brilliant orange sparks as it rent a jagged hole straight through the metal. Blake's entire team staggered back in surprise, shooting glances around to one another with fear clear to see in their eyes. It was only Oobleck whom reacted, levelling his Thermos-staff at the mysterious hulking faunus. Before any of them knew quite what was happening, Oobleck smirked and a huge bolt of flame shot out from his weapon and smote the monstrous figure before them.

The flames fully engulfed their foe and for a moment, it seemed as though he might have been destroyed. But when the smoke cleared, the same shadowy figure emerged, his weapon held before him in a block, a large section of it blackened and scorched. Blake took one look around at her team and saw their fear, even Nora was trembling, her usually rock solid grip on her hammer beginning to falter. In a rash moment she sprinted forward and launched herself at their huge foe. He seemed genuinely surprised at her actions, perhaps this was the first time that anyone had ever rushed out to faced him head-on. The surprised expression on his face soon turned to a sneer as he swung his weapon to meet the dashing faunus. Blake waited until the last possible moment before activating her semblance, leaving a clone to take the hit, she leapt clear out of the way and continued her mad dash. In only a few short strides she closed the gap and engaged, splitting Gambol Shroud into its two blades she attacked in a frenzy. Her team watched on in shock before they too dashed in, taking advantage of their enemy's now distracted state.

Up, down, left, right, parry, attack and dodge. This was a pattern which Blake soon adopted, she was acting on instinct, contorting her body in ways that she didn't know were possible as she fought to avoid the deadly bite of his chain-sword. She became vaguely aware of a flash of movement off to the side as her team dashed in to aid their leader, what she wasn't expecting was the ferocity with which they did. Nora was the first to strike, catching the faunus off-guard as she brought Magnhild around in a powerful swing to the back of his leg which sent him flying up into the air. Ren was ready as he leapt up to follow and delivered an aura-charged spin kick which sent him careening back into the train car, leaving a sizeable body shaped dent. Yet it seemed to have no effect as he leapt back to his feet. Before Blake could fully react, he had crossed the gap and plowed a fist straight into her jaw. Her weapons flew from her hands, clattering helplessly a short way away.

"Traitor! You're nothing but a filthy traitor to your own kind!" He spat.

Blake's eyes swam with pain, stars dancing before her. It felt as though she had just collided face first with the very train that they were fighting on top of. Her aura immediately got to work to dull the pain and repair the damage but she was still staggered. Their giant foe grabbed her by the throat, cocking back his hand to deliver another blow. The RN of BRNY launched themselves at him but he was ready this time, dodging their blows and knocking them back with several powerful kicks. Blake flailed against his grip, fighting to restore the flow of oxygen to her body by releasing the constriction on her airway. Yet against him, all of her attempts were futile. He laughed evilly as he cocked back his arm again, preparing to deliver what may well have been a killing blow. Tears filled Blake's eyes as she clamped them shut. Yet as she did there was a ferocious battle cry.

Opening her eyes, Blake saw the monstrous faunus' head snap to the side, locating the source of such a sound. The cry was unlike any other and resonated with pure rage and blood lust. Off to one side was yang, her hair aflame and her eyes redder than the deepest depths of hell. She trembled with barely suppressed rage as her semblance took over and she was overcome by her anger. For a brief moment, Blake could have sworn that she saw a flash of genuine fear in his eyes as he released her. She dropped to the roof of the train, gasping and drawing in lungfuls of sweet air. Struggling to stay on her feet, she swayed and collapsed to her knees, panting softly.

The clacking of their enemy's boots were heard as he turned to face this new, and by far the most dangerous threat. Blake had seen this look on Yang's face before... only once before. It was during initiation right before she punched a giant Nevermore to death. A shiver ran up her spine at the memory and she even felt slight pity for the faunus. He had no idea what he had inadvertently let himself in for. Yang stood stock still, glaring straight at him with malicious intent, her hands locked into tight fists at her side. Nora and Ren took up positions on either side of her but she turned her glare onto them.

"No! Don't you even think about getting involved! This one is mine." Her voice was cold, lacking any forms of empathy or pity. Blake recognised it as the voice of death. Nora and Ren seemed similarly surprised but backed off, deeming it their wisest course of action so as to avoid bringing the brawler's rage onto themselves. Turning her eyes back to her target, Yang took slow and deliberate steps forward until she was toe to toe with him and glaring up at him.

"You do realise... that you just signed your own death warrant by laying a finger on my best friend, don't you? If I were you I'd pick that chain-sword up again." She uttered in a low voice. Her threat was packed with rage and hatred. Yet if the big faunus was frightened or intimidated, he didn't show it. Instead he laughed,

"Whatever you say princess." he replied. That was it, Yang exploded. The flames in her hair flared up as she plowed her fist straight into his gut. He doubled over in pain but managed to dodge her follow up right hook. Dancing back he spat and went on the offensive. He launched a flurry of punches and kicks so fast that even Blake had trouble following them. Yet Yang didn't even seem phased. She simply swept herself out of the way of each and every one, before retaliating in kind. The two fought ferociously back and forth across the train car, locked in intense battle as the final train car before theirs disconnected and exploded. Knowing that they were next, both fighters disengaged and leapt onto the next one along.

"The first thing I'm going to do, is break your arm." Yang shouted, an evil grin on her face. The faunus looked at her as though this were all a dream and she couldn't possibly be real. No-one had ever spoken to him like that and lived yet here was this blonde, not even an adult yet and able to go toe to toe with him. How was it even possible?

With a roar, Yang leapt forward again and plowed her fist straight into his jaw. His head snapped back with a loud crack as the bones connected. He staggered back, clutching at his jawline and hissing angrily in pain but the blonde brawler didn't let up. Pressing her attack, Yang swung again and again to his gut, doubling him over as he coughed up thick globules of blood. A testament to just how hard the brawler was pummelling him. As he was coughing, she swept his legs and grabbed his wrist, using it as an anchor point she locked his arm as he fell. He struggled weakly, every move he made, Yang would tweak his arm. She seemed to savour every moment of pain that she could cause him.

"Do you remember what I said? The first thing I said I would do is..." With a chuckle she brought her foot in to meet his elbow. A series of loud snaps rang out, mixed in with the huge faunus' cries of pain as the bone and all the ligaments and tendons snapped. He howled, thrashing around on top of the train car. Yang released his wrist and the whole arm crumpled and fell limp at his side. With a trembling hand he reached out to loosely grab at it, looking with wide eyes at the damage that she had wrought to his once serviceable limb. His cries grew hoarse before long as he glared up at her.

"You little fu-" he was cut off as the brawler slammed her boot down on his ruined arm, irking another scream out of him.

"No-one touches my kitty-cat..." She growled, just loud enough for her foe to hear. Before she had the opportunity to say more, the train car that they were on drifted loose. Yang's eyes faded back to their original lilac as she dashed over to her leader and hefted Blake up onto her shoulder. She sprinted for the end of the train car and leapt the gap to the next one, followed closely by both Ren, Nora and Oobleck, the latter of whom had retrieved Blake's beloved Gambol Shroud.

The five of them turned briefly just in time to see the train car carrying the hulking Faunus explode. Yang gave a nod of finality and the five of them carried on unimpeded to the trains engine. They dropped into the compartment just behind Torchwick and the driver. The orange haired criminal seemed on edge as he stared out the front windows, seemingly oblivious to all else. In an instant, Oobleck stepped forward and pressed the barrel of his Thermos-staff onto Torchwick's shoulder, the flames flickering ominously as if goading the criminal to make even the slightest move and grant its wielder a reason.

"In the name of the kingdom of Vale I demand that you stop this train at once!" The historian commanded, his tone cold and unforgiving.

"Sorry bout that but no can do. You see I had a feeling that someone would try and stop us so I kinda... took steps to prevent that possibility." He replied in a suave tone. Extending a hand he gestured to a section of the control panel which sparked ominously. As the labels suggested, it was the controls for the braking system which had been destroyed

"Its too late anyway. This is the end of the line." He smirked, pointing out the window. Five sets of eyes looked ahead to see a large concrete wall blocking the tunnel. The final seal before they hit Vale. Blake's eyes widened with fear as she beheld it, they were all about to die. Die, trapped in a mess of twisted steel and tattered bodies. It was far from the way that she had planned on going. Oobleck took one look and pulled the entirety of team BRNY in close. Drawing in his weapon, he slammed the base of the haft into the floor of the engine house. From the end erupted a gigantic tirade of fire which formed a searing hot dome around them even as they drew near to the seal. To Blake's wonderment it solidified forming a solid shield around them. The train hit the seal with the screech of tearing steel, and all went black.

* * *

The return flight had been pretty much silent the whole way back with little more than the constant, hypnotic hum of the aircraft's engines to break it. Port had barely spoken a word since his revelation about his childhood horrors, Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby were all soundly asleep leaving Jaune to find ways of entertaining himself. At first he had tried counting the number of rivets but after losing count for the fifth time he quickly abandoned the idea. He sank back into his uncomfortable metal seat and closed his eyes hoping that his motion sickness wouldn't kick in. The flight had thankfully been mercifully smooth thus far but even so he was still a little on edge. However, after two hours his motion sickness still hadn't reared its ugly head and he allowed himself to relax. The flight was so calm and the hum of the engines so calming that he was almost about to drift off to sleep when he heard them. It was faint at first but as he strained his hearing it grew clearer and clearer. It was the sound of the Grimm sirens.

His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, unsure if whether or not he could actually hear them or if it had been the beginnings of a bad dream. But the more he listened the louder it became. He looked over at Port across the cabin who nodded and climbed to his feet, dashing over to the cockpit to order the pilots to increase their speed. Jaune set about rousing his teammates, gently shaking each of them awake and giving them all the same story as they came to.

"Get ready! Something's happened in Vale, the alarms have been sounded!" He explained. The three girls all took to the news the same way, their faces cycling through surprise and shock before setting in an expression of steely determination. They each climbed to their feet and drew their weapons, save for Ruby who's weapon was too big for the cabin. Just as Jaune drew Crocea Mors and slipped a hand through the straps dangling from the ceiling, he felt their aircraft accelerate and rocket off straight towards Vale. His mind ran at a million miles a minute as he tried to work out just what could have happened. Grimm attacks were a regular occurrence in the more remote territories but it was highly unusual for them to occur on the capital. Something wasn't quite right.

* * *

When Blake finally came to, the first thing that she became aware of was an abundance of natural light, that and an absolutely pounding headache. Harsh sirens rang out all around them the likes of which she had never heard growing up in Menagerie. Turning her head weakly she took in her surroundings. She was laying in the middle of the twisted wreckage of the train, in the middle of a town square in what appeared to be down town Vale. The engine that they had been in had broken up through the tunnel roof seemingly and had burst through to the surface in a tattered mass of shredded steel. Looking around she quickly identified her four companions, laid out around her. Even as she watched, they returned to consciousness and staggered to their feet. Blake made to follow, her head pounding. Her vision swam and she became dizzy, collapsing back to one knee until it passed before standing up. Her golden eyes scanned the wreckage for any sign of Torchwick but found nothing beyond his bent cane and torn hat. The faunus who had been driving the train lay by his control panel in two halves with a large jagged piece of metal in between his torso and legs. The metal was slick with blood, Blake looked away as a bitter taste filled her mouth. Once again she was revisited by her feelings from within the tunnel, regret at what was such a senseless waste of life. Many of the White Fang weren't inherently evil, many were just misguided young faunus whom were angry at the prejudices of the world and looking for a way to strike back against their oppressors. They didn't deserve such a fate as being dismembered and blown apart far from their loved ones in an abandoned train tunnel.

"Well... That was a thing..." Yang groaned beside her, it was a relief to hear her voice clearly again, the ringing from the explosions having finally faded away and her hearing having returned... in her human ears at least. Nora helped to drag her partner up, dusting off his tailcoat and hefting Magnhild up and over one shoulder. Ren himself drew his twin bladed pistols and checked his ammunition just as the blonde brawler stepped over to her faunus partner and handed her Gambol Shroud. Yet something wasn't right... She couldn't escape the feeling that somehow she had forgotten something but just what it was that she had forgotten was a mystery. All of her team and Oobleck were all in one piece, perhaps a little bruised but otherwise alright.

The whole ground shook violently as out from the gaping hole in the ground spewed hundreds upon hundreds of Grimm of every different variety discovered. There were Death-Stalkers, Beowolves, Ursai and King Taijitus. So _that_ was what she had forgotten, it was a major thing to have forgotten.. With a grimace, she drew her weapon and readied herself as her team formed up around her, Oobleck taking a stance right behind her. Adjusting and readjusting her grip on Gambol Shroud Blake readied herself for the fight to come. Undoubtedly it would be one of the most desperate that she had ever been in. Their primary concern was to defend the lives of the innocents nearby whom were still dashing to and fro to lock themselves into the nearest available buildings.

"BRNY... Prepare to defend yourselves. This is where the real work begins. We must defend these people until support arrives. These sirens will alert all nearby hunters, huntresses and soldiers as to our peril but we must hold out until then!" Oobleck shouted his orders to their team even as the tidal wave of Grimm ran straight for them. Team BRNY charged and the two immovable forces clashed in a cacophony of harsh roars, gunfire and rasping steel. The battle had begun.

* * *

The side doors of the bullhead hissed as they slid open to reveal the carnage below. A huge column of smoke was rising from a large plaza in down town Vale, the cumulation of numerous smaller fires and burning buildings. Jaune's fist clenched around the hilt of his sword as their aircraft began its descent. The lower they got the more Grimm that Jaune could see, they seemed to have formed a large circle in the centre of the plaza surrounding what appeared to be four figures. The sea of black seethed and writhed as the numerous monsters fought to have their chance at attacking the fighters trapped within. Jaune's eyes widened slightly in fear as he realised that the four fighters were their friends and sister team. The blonde knight slowly drew his sword, the steel of his blade rasping against the sides of his sheath. Around him his companions did the same, the rattle of weapons on armour, the clicking of a dust revolver and the cocking of a blunderbuss all rose as they readied for battle.

The bullhead swooped in through the gap between two sky scrapers and dropped down to street level as it flew a pass over the plaza. Jaune didn't wait for it to touch down as he leapt out the door followed closely by his team. The moment he touched down he set off at a run for the densely packed Grimm, drawing and expanding his shield. Pyrrha and Weiss closed up around him, followed in short order by Ruby whose monstrous scythe finally unfurled. There came a loud crack as her sniper rifle spat one of its colossal rounds, accelerating her petite frame ever faster towards their foes. The tiny rose rocketed past them and straight into the press of Grimm, the blade of her scythe gleamed with savage delight as she brought it round in a long swing, rending limbs and head from bodies that got in its way. The Grimm around her only then came to notice the new threat, but by then it was too late and team JSPR were upon them.

Five voices all cried out at once in a savage cry of battle as they cut a swathe through the monsters' ranks, heading unerringly straight for their surrounded companions. The sounds of steel rending flesh and pained roars were the only warning of their approach. Jaune brought his shield up and bashed a Beowolf under its chin creating an opening for his sword as he swung and decapitated the beast. Looking around he found his team all dispatching their opponents with similar ease, their blades all stained black as pitch with the life essences of the monsters around them. Off to his left he caught sight of Port, the hunter presenting himself as a formidable foe, his axe ripping through his enemies like a hot knife through butter. Even as he watched, the moustachioed wonder pulled the trigger on his blunderbuss, turning a once mighty Beowolf Alpha into little more than black mist and tattered strips of flesh hanging in the air. Seeing such ferocity and brutality in battle got the blonde swordsman thinking that perhaps all of his grand tales had some truth to them after all. Port certainly seemed to have no trouble in slaughtering the Grimm in front of them by their tens.

On and on the five of them fought until at last they burst through the Grimm and into the killing zone of the encircled team BRNY. Faster than the eye could follow, Ruby zipped over to her older sister and wrapped her in a tight hug. It was a fast action and only lasted a mere moment but Jaune could certainly sense the emotion behind it. The knight himself chuckled and lightly jogged over to Blake with Pyrrha at his side and took up a back-to-back triangular formation with the faunus leader.

"What... took you guys... so long?" She asked between hurried breaths, a relieved smile playing about her lips.

"Oh you know... We stopped off, got some coffee." Jaune retorted with a playful laugh as he decapitated another Grimm, its still twitching corpse falling to the floor and beginning to dissolve.

"Did you guys get us some too?"

"No sorry, we thought you guys wouldn't want any I mean can you imagine Nora on caffeine?"

"Well I don't know, that might come in handy right now!" She cried, slicing an Ursa Minor from shoulder to hip, the two halves slowly sliding apart as it fell backwards.

"Just how did you get into this mess in the first place?" Pyrrha interjected as she juggled two opponents at once with her usual frightening grace.

"That Pyrrha... Is a very long... story!" The stoical leader responded as her blade pierced the heart of yet another monster whom dared to come too close.

"You'll have to tell us when all this is over!"

Those were the last words to flow between the three of them, the Grimm pressing harder and taking their full concentration to repel. Seconds of survival dragged on into minutes and then hours as the tide of Grimm never seemed to abate. For every one that they killed there always seemed to be another to take its place. Hundreds fell yet thousands remained to continue the fight. The ten hunters and huntresses did their best to rest in the brief lulls between attacks but they could never truly get their breath back. Before long their whole bodies became numb, driven on instinct and impulse alone as they fought to stay alive. Blake repeatedly cast her eyes up to the sky, frantically searching for any sign of the reinforcements that Oobleck had told them would come, her hopes fading with each and every passing second.

It was as the Grimm closed in for one final attack, when everything seemed lost that the air filled with the harsh thrum of engines. From above the clouds dropped several battleships, their mighty guns spitting a deadly barrage down on the Grimm below and utterly decimating their force. Out from the battleships came a whole fleet of smaller drop ships which flew to building height. Hundreds of figures dropped down from them, as they landed Jaune could just make out that they were a mixture of human and machine, the promised hunters had arrived with military support. Every one of them armed to the teeth. The air was filled with the sounds of gunfire as the Grimm were fought back, their numbers stretched too thin to defend against so many new threats. One by one they were killed and pushed back to the train tunnels in one big push. Out from the ranks of the hunters and huntresses came a visage that every one of the students knew well. Glynda Goodwitch. She strode forward, mere flicks of her riding crop dispatching any creatures bold enough to try their luck with her. It was a wholly terrifying sight to see as she stormed towards the train wreckage with a glare that send chills down the blonde knight's back.

Even as Blake watched, the disciplinarian Professor stopped and raised her arms, the gigantic chunks or ruined stone raised from their resting places and formed into a whirlwind, spinning faster and faster as more of the debris was whipped up into it. She moved her arms as if conducting some kind of masterful symphony, the pieces fell back into their original places, the ruined steel train shrieked as it slid back down into the train tunnel and the stone pieces covered over the hole again, made whole once more seemingly due to her sheer force of will.

"I swear... If I have to fix _one more_ mess like this there will be hell to pay..." The Professor sighed and turned towards the two teams and their teachers. Her viridian eyes paused on each of them one by one as though checking for any signs of physical injury. They lingered the longest on Blake, no doubt identifying the dried blood on her bow, an oddly concerned expression on her face. Blake returned her gaze for as long as possible before another wave of dizziness hit her, she staggered and fell as the world around her grew dark, the sheer fatigue of the past few hours all crashing to meet her. Though she wasn't met with the cold stone as she had been expecting, rather she felt several pairs of hands catch her and lower her down to the ground. Then she knew no more.

* * *

**There is another one down. Goodwitch doesn't sound too happy. I hop you all enjoyed this, if you did, please favourite, follow and review. Every review helps me improve the story and gives me ideas of where I should take it. Thank you all very much for reading and as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	19. A Recovery, a Date, a Rose

**Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter. So the breach was countered and the evil White Fang were foiled. Where now will our story go? Read on to find out. Enjoy.**

* * *

Darkness engulfed Blake for what must have been hours before she finally came to again. At first she became aware of a monotonous beeping sound which came at a steady rhythm in tune with the beating of her heart a sound which quickly told her that both sets of her ears were now working once more. The second thing that she became aware of was the throbbing pain within her skull, the most mammoth headache that she had ever experienced. The light blasting down on her closed eyelid was painfully bright, only serving to aggravate her migraine further. Still, there was no rush. She waited a long while for her eyes to adjust to the light coming through her closed eyes and instead contented herself with listening to her surroundings and trying, to the best of her ability, to piece together the events of the past few days in the right order.

She remembered the long flight out to the failed expansion of Mountain Glen, the hundreds of Grimm which they had seen along the way and the shattered state of the city itself, with its broken, battered and abandoned buildings, once so full of life but now eerily silent, rising from the ground like worn and grey teeth. She recalled their long days trekking through the city and fighting off Grimm as they searched for the White Fang and her excitement at finding their hideout, her fear as they snuck in and through yet another abandoned city in the vast caverns beneath the first. Yet perhaps most harrowing, she remembered the long and drawn out fight atop the moving train as they desperately tried to bring the dastardly Roman Torchwick's plan's to a grinding halt. Finally, after a great deal of thought as she scoured her memories, she remembered waking up to a vicious horde of Grimm, their desperate fight and rescue at the hands of their friends in Team JSPR, the Vale military and even fully qualified hunters and huntresses before she had finally succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed.

Certainly, the previous few days had been incredibly difficult indeed and had taken their toll upon her. The fact that her limbs still felt sore and heavy was only a testament to the fact. It would undoubtedly be some time before she was fully recovered. One positive was that the pain from her ears had more or less subsided and she couldn't feel the cracked, dried blood within. She was drawn from her self assessment by a collection of voices around her. Despite the hushed nature of their conversation, Blake identified them as the voices of her friends. Groggily she opened her eyes slowly giving them a chance to adapt to the sudden increase in light levels. Turning her head slowly, she looked around for them and found them huddled just inside the doorway, not only the members of her own team, team JSPR were there too. They looked a little worse for wear, bandages wrapped in a patchwork fashion around their arms, legs and heads.

Allowing her eyes to scan around, Blake took a few moments to take in the details of her surroundings. It was a standard hospital room, a single bed made up with sterile, and incredibly itchy, white sheets. Around her bed was a curtain rail upon which was hung a greeny-blue curtain which, at the behest of the patient, might be drawn to grant a little privacy but where drawn right back. Opposite Blake's own bed was an identical one against the far wall leaving a slight aisle in between the foot of both beds. Laid up in the other bed was a young looking girl with brilliant violet hair, both her right leg and left arm were in casts and elevated. Blake couldn't help but wonder just how she had never before seen this girl, judging by her age and the slightly extreme injuries the faunus could only assume that she was another student of Beacon Academy. There was a large medical cabinet pushed up against the left hand wall and off to the right was the door to the room. In all it was incredibly dull with little more of interest than the other patient's hair and the heart rate monitor at the young faunus leader's bedside from which numerous wires came and attached to Blake's arm.

"W-why are you whispering?" Blake asked weakly, her voice felt rough almost as though her throat were lined with sandpaper. Presumably because of all the shouting in the past few days. All at once, seven pairs of eyes all shot over to Blake making the poor girl blush under her new found attention. They switched their attention to Yang who nodded to them all. One by one team JSPR and the RN of BRNY gave Blake a smile and filtered out of the room.

"We didn't want to wake you, the nurses said that you needed all the rest you could get after the fight yesterday. You gave us all quite the fright when you fainted." Yang explained with a certain warmth to her voice which only made her wounded girlfriend blush more. Blake froze in shock, a whole day? Had she really been asleep for so long? Seemingly she was far more exhausted after her mission than she had first thought.

"Well... I'm awake now. What has happened since I... y'know... fainted." She continued, finding it oddly difficult to admit to having fainted. Simply saying it brought back memories from her childhood which she had long since repressed. Back in her younger days after having first joined the White Fang, she had fainted fairly often under her former partner's harsh training regimen. The fact that she had done so stripped away her personal defences and left her feeling just as vulnerable and weak as she had all that time ago.

"Not a lot really... after you fainted the professional hunters and huntresses split up and spread out to eradicate the last of the Grimm in the city. Goodwitch fixed some of the damage and dragged us all of for a kind of interrogation. The way she was glaring I honestly thought that we might of died. Even Port and Oobleck looked terrified of her and followed like a pair of lost puppies. We got taken to see Ozpin and he asked us what happened in Mountain Glen so we told him, Oobleck corroborated the story and we were sent here to get treated. You were the only one that was brought straight here since you were in no state for anything else." Yang continued, filling her partner in on the events of the past twenty four hours. Blake listened closely, nodding occasionally but for the most part she maintained her usual stoical visage. As the brawler finished her account the faunus spoke up again, raising the only point which had yet to be covered.

"What about Torchwick? Did they find him?"

"Nothing... They found his hat and cane but that's all. The official report was that he died in the crash."

"I don't believe it... Not without a body. He escaped, I can feel it."

"Blake that is for the police and the military to deal with, not us. Right now you should try and relax. You've gotta get better before anything else."

"But how can I relax? He's out there probably concocting another plan to bring Vale to its knees!" she cried, dragging herself to a sitting position.

* * *

As night fell across Vale and the shattered moon rose high into the sky, a lone figure stalked the streets, staggering as he made his way. His footfalls echoed across the empty street with each and every step. He froze as police sirens sounded in the distance, every muscle in his body tensing up as he strained his ears to hear them until they faded into nothingness. He continued along his way until he reached a medium sized terraced house in the middle of the street where he turned up the path. He looked from side to side, a single deep green eye catching the moonlight as it peered through long orange bangs. Contented that the coast was clear he reached into his pants pocket and produced a small set of keys. Leaning against the cold, hard wood of the door he slid the key into the lock with a shaking hand and unlocked it. Giving one final glance up and down the street he slipped into the house and closed the door behind him, sealing out the night.

With a sigh, Torchwick leant back against the door and allowed himself a few deep breaths. He took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the total darkness of the house's interior before shuffling down the hall and into the house's kitchen. The place was nothing fancy, pretty empty really, only containing the bare essentials for a safe house. He moved with shuffling steps over to the counter and took up the single solitary bottle. Once again his shoes shuffled against the carpets as he made his way through into the bare living room where he sank against the wall, sliding against it until he sat in a heap on the floor. Unscrewing the cap he raised the bottle and drank a mouthful of the strong liquid within. His face contorted slightly at its bitter taste but he soon began to relax, the alcohol within steadying his trembling hands and numbing his nerves. His hands tightened back up around the bottle however as the lights flicked on, blinding him.

"Hello Roman." It was a voice he knew well, one which filled him with dread. It was a smooth and sultry one belonging to the one and only Cinder Fall. Just how had she known where to find him?

"Now Cinder... I know what you're gonna say but it wasn't my fault I-"

"Silence." She snapped, her voice was icy as she interrupted him. "You're lucky that your little fiasco didn't ruin my plans entirely. Fortunately, it worked as was intended and all unfriendly eyes have been taken off of us and fixed firmly onto the incapable shoulders of the White Fang, of course those fools are only too happy to claim credit."

"But I thought-"

"You thought what? That they were our partners in full for our venture? Hardly. Those... animals are just a means to an end, tools to be used and then disposed of when we are finished with them. Useless ingrates such as them have no place in the new world that we are seeking to create. You know how our...investor... despises them." Roman drank again, his hands beginning to tremble once more. Her explanation of the role that the White Fang were to play was so matter of fact and ruthless that it sent chills racing up and down his spine.

"So... what do we do now?" The clockwork criminal asked, almost afraid of her answer.

"Now, we wait. Even as we speak our virus is spreading through the Vale computer network, those fools will be too preoccupied with their renewed fight against the White Fang to even care about us, they think you're dead so we're in a very powerful position. All eyes will be turned away from us during the upcoming tournament and that will be when we strike. All is coming together just as planned, despite your little slip up today. The board has been set, the pieces are moving and we are all primed to take their queen when she arrives. In that moment, all of our hard work shall be rewarded and we shall stand victorious in the cinders of a bygone society." Her golden eyes lit up and burned brightly as she explained the next stage of their plan, he didn't know the exacts and he certainly didn't know who this 'Queen' was that she was referring to, in truth he wasn't sure that he even wanted to know. Raising his bottle he toasted.

"To the New World. May there be order." Cinder watched with a smirk as he drank before she too took the bottle and took a long sip.

"To the New World."

* * *

The following days passed relatively quickly and before long, Blake was back on her feet again. With a satisfied sigh, she stepped out of the infirmary with her team and into the summer sun shining down onto the Beacon Academy campus. She smiled and stretched herself out, basking in the warmth of the sun and feeling thoroughly glad to be out and about once again instead of cooped up in her infirmary room.

"It feels good to be able to move about freely again. The nurses in there went crazy if I so much as sat up on my own. It was horrible. I get that they are there to look after us and help us get better but I do not appreciate being treated like I'm made of glass and they don't take no for an answer! I swear I was 'this' close to losing it." She explained with a frown and a hand gesture, it was true, she had once told them that she didn't want a drink and they had practically forced the fluids down her neck.

"Looks like this kitty has claws~" Yang teased, though her grin was only met with a scathing glare from the faunus. If looks could kill, Yang would likely have died right then and there, yet the brawler wasn't put off, far from it as she leant in to whisper into her girlfriend's ear. "Sorry kitty-cat, if you'd like I can always make it up to you later~"

At the mere idea, Blake's entire face flew a deep shade of red. She lashed out and weakly punched her partner on the arm as though it were the only thing that she could possibly have done in that situation though Yang didn't seem to mind, if anything a look of satisfaction bloomed across her features as though she had somehow 'one-upped' the faunus. Blake glared again, determined to get her own back. She had read plenty of books involving revenge and so was not short of ideas, one way or another the blonde bombshell would pay. Before she could put any of her plans into action however, her stomach growled sounding like a pack of very hungry Ursai.

"Wow! You sound super hungry! We should get you some food!" Nora cried in her usual exuberance.

"Please yes!" Blake replied almost immediately, seeing the surprised looks on her teammates' faces she blushed once more. "The food in the infirmary was awful, it was all so bland and tasteless. I am just really looking forward to getting some good food into me again okay?" Her teammates nodded in agreement and together the four of them made their way off to the cafeteria for what Blake was certain would be some of the greatest food that she had ever tasted.

* * *

Across the campus, in his team dorm rooms Jaune sat alone at the room's lone desk, his teammates having all gone off to the training hall to get a workout in. His sword was laid out on a soft cloth on the table top as he slowly worked his way along the blade with a whetstone, freshening the blade's edge again after all of the stresses that it had endured over the course of the last few days. Its bit alone had signalled the doom of more monsters than he might have ever imagined meeting in the flesh. Even when he was little and had imagined himself as a mighty hunter and hero, he had never imagined that he would kill so many. In reality he considered it a miracle that he was still alive and had made it out in one piece. First the Night-Fury and then the swarm during the breach. The chances of anyone making it through both of those events were minuscule and yet here he was.

He looked up from polishing Crocea Mors as the door opened and Ruby entered the room. Just the sight of her was enough to catapult him back to the events of that one night before the Grimm had attacked. In the gloom after a particularly bad nightmare she had comforted him and the two had shared a tender yet passionate kiss which had left him confused about his feelings for the little rose. It was clear that he harboured some affection for her but to what extent exactly that was remained a mystery.

"Is everything alright Jaune? You've been staring at me for a little while now... have I got something on my face?" The soft sound of her voice brought Jaune out of his daydream and crashing back down to Earth with a bang. Standing, he made his way over to her.

"I was thinking, about everything that's happened lately. I'm sorry I kinda drifted away after our... y'know, kiss. I guess I was just confused about it and how I felt about you. I kinda came up with an idea though. I though that we could m-maybe y'know... hang out as a kind of date... if you wanted to I mean." Ruby listened as he spoke and at the very mention of a date with him, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. She shot forward in a puff of rose petals and hugged him tightly, her little arms like bands of steel around him.

"I would love to!" she chirped in her excitement before pulling back with a suspicious expression, one eyebrow raised at him. "What about Pyrrha though? She kissed you too..."

"Well... I uh... I know. I don't really know how I feel about either of you, I mean you're both my best friends and that matters the most to me. I thought that taking you both out separately would give me a better chance to get to know you both and hopefully work out how I feel. I-is that alright? Do you still want to hang out with me?" He asked nervously, unsure of how his explanation would make her feel.

"Of course I do silly!" She giggled "I get that you want to be totally fair about it all and want to work out how you really feel."Jaune smiled and wrapped her up in his arms.

"So shall we say, Saturday night by the big statue in the courtyard at seven?" He suggested hopefully. Relief washed over him as she nodded and the arrangements for their date were made.

"I can't wait, now, how about we go get some food? I'm starving~" The little rose whined, pouting in the most adorable way and giving Jaune a look which melted his heart. How could he possibly say no? With a grin he opened the door to their dorm for her and the two of them made their way down to the school's cafeteria to fill their bellies. It was of course a weight off of Jaune's mind that she had accepted his plan so willingly. He knew that certainly it wouldn't be that simple and that he would soon enough have to explain the situation to Pyrrha, he could only hope that the champion would agree to it as easily as the little rose had, yet only time would tell.

* * *

Time passed quickly over the remaining days before the day of their date arrived. Jaune was nervous, perhaps the most nervous that he had ever been. The blonde knight had stood toe to toe with some of, if not _the_ most terrifying creatures on the face of remnant and had hardly batted an eyelid, yet when faced with the prospect of taking a girl out on a date, his knees turned to the wobbliest of jelly.

It had been a long day of preparation and he still didn't have the faintest idea of just where it was that he was going to take her. He had been racking his brain for hours trying to come up with some form of solution that would ensure that his date with Ruby would be a thoroughly enjoyable night for the two of them. He had spent a long time just trying to work out what it was that she might like to actually do and had finally settled on a movie. That was the classical choice right? At least, that was all that the movies had ever shown...

Yet at last after hours of worrying, he had finally finished planning and worrying. His solution for the most enjoyable evening still eluded him yet what else could he possibly do? He had to wing it which only served to make him yet more nervous. He retreated back to the dorm, content that he had a fairly decent plan for their evening. Reaching into his wardrobe he grabbed out his best clothes, these being his least torn pair of jeans and a flannelette shirt in a shade of blue that his Mom had always told him brought out the colour of his eyes. One final thing, he grabbed a small glass bottle filled with a clear liquid, it was the only cologne that he owned, and one which he only wore for extra-special occasions. He looked at the bottle and its contents for a long moment, wondering whether or not his date qualified for its use, with one final nod, he gave himself three quick sprays of the liquid. It was a fairly light fragrance, a pleasant one which reminded the blonde of warm summer evenings back home where he would sit in the sun and enjoy the light breeze.

Contented with his appearance and confident that he wasn't either too casual or too smartly dressed, the blonde left the dorm room and casually walked his way down the long hallways of Beacon academy and off towards the main courtyard to meet the little Rose. He hadn't seen her all day since Yang had found out about the date and had effectively abducted Ruby for the purposes of getting her ready. Truthfully, he had no idea what he was to expect that night, nor any clues as to what Yang would have done to her little sister in preparation for the date. The brawler was always far to unpredictable for Jaune... She reminded him a scary amount of his own sisters a thought which sent chills and shivers running up and down his spine.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Jaune passed out of the illustrious residential wing of Beacon Academy and down the smoothly paved pathways towards the main courtyard where he was die to meet the rose. Checking his scroll, he smiled with satisfaction at seeing that he was right on schedule and due to arrive five minutes early for the Rose. His father had always told him that it was better to arrive five minutes early rather than five minutes late, and that was a mantra which Jaune had always striven to live by.

Had he been paying any attention to his surroundings, he might have seen his partner as she made her way out of the academy's main building and began to head across the campus to her team's dorm room. Her viridian eyes locked onto him immediately and twinkled sadly as they caught the light of the broken moon. A soft sigh passed her lips as her heart sank, she had of course heard about his date with the little reaper but a part of her still held out, pleading for it not to be true. Even when he had explained his plans to her and promised her her own date in time, she had refused to believe that it was true, that there was even any kind of choice at all. None of the romance novels which the champion had borrowed from Blake had ever suggested that love could ever be so complicated, or so confusing. They had all been so simple, cut and dry cases of; 'boy meets girl and falls in love' or vice versa. Yet here she was, tears welling up ever so slightly in her eyes as she watched the subject of her affections heading off to go onto a date with a literal walking complication.

Internally she chastised herself for losing her rationality and allowing her emotions to take over. After all, it wasn't as though she had lost was it? Far from it, Ruby may have acquired the first date but the champion was by no means out of the race. Rather, the true race for Jaune's affections was about to begin. And just as she had promised before every one of her tournaments; she would not lose.

* * *

Jaune stood by the statue, under the very shadows of the great heroes and heroines of old, awed by the sheer ferocity that the sculptor had managed to encapsulate on their faces. Even the Grimm seemed to be trembling in fear before their mighty onslaught, it was just like the stories that his Mom and Dad had read to him when he was little. Everything about the statue resonated within Jaune's own ambition, within his very desires to be the hero and stand tall among the ranks of these mighty warriors.

With a smile, he turned back away from the statue and brought himself back into reality, once more feeling his nerves grow and threaten to consume him at the idea of his impending date. His mind ran in circles as he worried over whether he had dressed right or if the aftershave was too much after all. He could feel his stomach beginning to knot itself tightly as more and more of these thought spiralled around in his head. Butterflies bloomed in his stomach and seemed to be holding some kind of insect air show within him as they fluttered about. His heart was running a million miles a minute and felt like it might just leap right out of his chest.

Every part of him seemed on edge as he began to check his scroll more and more, remembering why he had turned his attentions to the statue in the first place. In fact he was so nervous, and so preoccupied with his own nerves that he failed to hear the footsteps heading straight for him. They tapped softly against the paved pathways as they moved ever closer to the blonde knight whom was near enough in a full on panic as he muttered to himself about how he 'ought to have gotten flowers'. It was only when a familiar voice piped up at his side that he was brought out of his nerve induced rambling.

"So uh... Be honest, how silly do I look?"

Jaune turned immediately in surprise to face this newcomer and as he did, his cerulean eyes grew wide, and his jaw hung slack. For there stood his date, there stood Ruby Rose. Though not in any way that he had seen her before, this was an entirely different side from the usually shy reaper that he had been teamed up with all those months ago.

She was dressed in a pale red summer dress which contrasted fantastically with her soft, pale skin. Her familiar red cloak was gone and replaced instead with a shawl of a similar colour. Her hair had been tamed, presumably by the inescapably firm hand of Yang. In all she looked fantastic and it was a long, awkwardly quiet few minutes before Jaune finally remembered to actually say something. He wasn't sure what to say or what words would do her justice, Yang had worked magic on the little huntress and brought out the very best of her attributes right down to the flat shoes the little rose wore. Everything made her seem so sweet and innocent.

"R-Ruby... you look incredible~" He said at last, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Y-you really think so? It was mostly Yang I mean, I didn't really have much of a say in it all but she usually knows best y'know?"

"Don't you worry about it Rubes... You look amazing~" He said with a smile, growing in confidence, he reached out and softly took her hand. She recoiled from his touch at first, seemingly as unfamiliar with these kinds of events as he was but she soon relaxed and slid her tiny hand into his.

"So... What are we gonna do tonight? I don't think you ever told me?" She asked with her signature sweet smile as she looked up to fix him with her deep silvery eyes.

"Well, there's this new Spruce Willis movie in town and I thought that maybe you and I could go see it, that is if you wanna?" At this suggestion, her eyes lit up.

"I would love to~!" She giggled. With a smile, Jaune led her by her little hand off towards the sky docks and onwards to Vale. With a slight sigh he began to relax. Their date had begun.

* * *

**Come in big bird! Fluff inbound! That's right. Place your bets now as the shipping war begins. One way or the other some of you will likely get upset/annoyed with me but I cannot put this off any longer it must happen. As for this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. I wanted to give a little more insight into Roman's life and his relationship with Cinder. I kind of imagine it to be like one of the old bond movies where the villain is always waiting in a swivel chair.**

**If you enjoyed this chapter please do favourite and follow, I update weekly. If you have any suggestions then drop me a message or review and I will get back to you I promise. Thank you all for reading, I have been TheFlagshipArkos, you have been my wonderful readers and I will see you all in the next chapter.**


	20. The Ruby Date Chronicle

**Okay, here we go getting down to the main plot point which all of you have been excited for I'm sure. Before I let you get to it however there is one thing I must address here and now. I will not be writing an OT3. It will have a decisive ending in which one heart gets broken and where one wins over Jaune's heart. I do not like the idea of him settling down with both because it feels like a total deus ex machina and because neither of the girls really seem poly amorous in nature so no it wont be both. Other than that I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Jaune was nervous, perhaps the most nervous that he had ever been. It was hardly surprising given the situation. Here he was on his very first date ever with a girl that could only be described by using words such as 'adorable' or 'sweet'. The blonde knight knew that in reality he had very little to worry about and that Ruby was probably just as if not even more nervous than he was himself, yet he simply couldn't escape the flocks of butterflies going crazy within him.

The two of them made their way in near perfect silence over to the sky docks that connected Beacon Academy to the bustling and vibrant city of Vale. Boarding, they took their seats with nary a word said between the two of them. Both of the teens feeling to afraid to open their mouths, terrified of saying the wrong thing and ruining their evening. It was only halfway through their flight that Ruby finally decided that it was beginning to get quite silly, after all they couldn't go through their entire date without saying a word to one another. She may not have been on many, but she knew that the whole idea of a date was to get to know one another better and grow a little more comfortable in each other's presence.

"Jaune, we can't spend the whole night too scared to talk to one another. The whole idea of tonight is to try and work out how we feel about one another, or how you feel about me... We can't do that without talking to one another, so why don't we just relax?" She spoke softly in a way which helped put the bumbling blonde leader at ease, she was right of course and Jaune knew it. He gave her a soft smile and nodded.

"You're right, sorry Rubes. I just, I guess I was afraid of messing up somehow y'know? I put way too much pressure on myself to make sure tonight went down without a hitch that I guess I forgot what the whole point of it is; to get to know you better and try and work out just how I feel. Thanks Ruby, you're a good friend to me~" Reaching out, he enveloped the tiny rose in his arms for a few moments, glad to feel at least some of the pressure relax and the knot in his gut begin to unwind itself and allow him a little more comfort.

From then on their date was a lot more easy-going and relaxed as conversation began to flow naturally between the two of them. As their flight went on, thankfully without any attacks from Jaune's motion-sickness, the two teenagers began to relax more and more as they became slowly more confident in the other's presence. Laughter soon rose from the pair as old jokes were resurrected and anecdotes were shared. This was what Jaune had been hoping for from their date, a low key and relaxed evening without any kind of expectations on either of them to be anything but themselves.

Before long, they felt their aircraft dip itself into a shallow descent as it pulled into the Vale terminal, the whine of the engines decreasing in pitch as the power was steadily reduced until once again the great craft touched back down on terra firma. Standing, Jaune nervously reached out and took Ruby's hand as the two disembarked into the busy terminal. Ruby looked at Jaune expectantly as she waited to see just what he had planned for the two of them that evening. The blonde gave her a sly grin and led her off to the movie theatre, her grin becoming more apparent with each passing moment. Heading inside, Jaune collected his pre-booked tickets and bought them a large popcorn and drink to share before the two of them headed into their screen and sat together in the very centre. As they waited for the movie to start, they expected to see more and more people pile in and fill the seats around them but that wasn't the case.

Only a couple of others drifted into the theatre and those took seats a fair distance away from the pair, leaving them with more or less the whole screen to themselves. With a grin the two looked happily at one another. It was going to be the best kind of movie experience, an empty screen with no irritating kids kicking the back of their seats or throwing popcorn at them. Just the two of them, a great movie and a few other stragglers whom didn't seem the type to cause trouble. With a smile Jaune settled back in his seat with a fist full of popcorn and waited for the movie to start. The pair laughed and joked, discussing which of the trailers looked the best with Ruby even suggesting that they go and see one of the movies as a follow up date. Before long, the title sequence for their movie; 'Die soft 7.0' started and the two settled into silence to watch.

There was no escaping that it was an old story, a cop coming out of retirement to deal with a particular group of terrorists for the seventh time using a mixture of signature catch-phrases and explosions to give the movie universal appeal to its audiences. It was cliché, cheap action but enjoyable nonetheless. As was the norm, their popcorn and drink didn't even make it halfway through the movie, the two teens polishing it off long before the opening act had finished. Once the movie was over, both of them remained rooted in place, waiting for the credits to finish in the hopes that there might be some form of post-credits scene or teaser for the sequel. Sadly for the two of them, there wasn't. Feeling a little disappointed, the two of them stood and made their way out of the theatre, shivering as they were met with the cool evening air. After so long spent in the warm movie screen it was a stark contrast which sent chills up and down their spines.

The two of them wandered aimlessly for a while, heading unerringly back in the direction of the airport though without any real sense of urgency. The night was still quite young and neither of them were quite ready to call it quits on their date just yet. A couple of streets away from the airport the two of them ducked into a small bistro and settled themselves in one of the booths by the window. The bistro was nothing fancy, just a typical greasy spoon in which one could find the entirety of the menu staining the paper table cloths, yet it had a friendly enough atmosphere. A middle aged waitress just the wrong side of her forties came over to them, smiling warmly with her trusty notepad in hand. Jaune ordered a large portion of fries for the two of them and the waitress scurried off to tell the cooks. Both Jaune and Ruby sat together in their little booth in companionable silence, watching the world go by outside the window. The city had seemed to slow to a near halt from its usual self, with most people having gone home for an evening with loved ones.

It was a little while later that the waitress returned carrying a large plate laden with a large pile of fried unceremoniously heaped onto it. Yet despite its simplicity it was just what the two of them wanted. Neither of them were in the mood for anything particularly fancy, just something good, tasty and comforting. Looking out the window, Jaune watched an empty street. The few people that did stray out for whatever reason provided a welcome change to the somewhat monotonous view.

"What do you think they're doing out so late?" Ruby asked as she began to work her way through the plate.

"Well... That guy there with his coat pulled right up" He began, pointing to the individual whom he was referencing. "He's a criminal mastermind. The finest in the business and feared by all, he kills his nemesis by putting them into a big fish tank with a lethal octopus!" The blonde explained with a twinkle in his eyes, a smile on his lips and not a few hand gestures. He wove a lengthy story all about his 'master criminal' long after the man had passed from sight, and all the while Ruby sat listening intently. Her silver eyes were wide with wonderment as the story began to unfold.

"... And the worst thing of all? He is gonna take over the world with an army of really silly minions... Like friendly zombies, who instead of infecting people go around handing out chocolate chip cookies full of mind-altering chemicals that turn your brains into mush and make you his slave~" He finished, waggling his fingers at her menacingly.

"That... That monster!" Ruby gasped in mock horror "How could someone be that evil? To take something so innocent and pure and turn it into a weapon for world domination... it's... it's so wrong."

"Okay, your turn. What about the lady there?" he asked, pointing to another of the few pedestrians whom passed their window. Ruby looked out to her and paused for a moment in thought, her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in concentration before she finally jumped back to life again with an 'aha!'.

"She is a genius! She is the leading lady on Grimm in the whole world but no-one listens to her. She got real angry, so angry that she turned evil and promised to fight back against the world for rejecting her. She kidnaps people and drags them away to her super secret underground lair where she does experiments to turn them into people-Grimm hybrids before setting them loose around the city to wreak havoc. The hunters deal with them in secret all across the city and try their best to find her but she is just too crafty for them. Even now she is plotting her revenge against the scientists who turned her away!"

As though to back up her story, the little rose finished it with an evil laugh, raising her fists to the sky as she did so. Jaune in turn started to laugh at just how ridiculous the story was and before long the both of them were sat there laughing wildly to themselves, tears streaming down their cheeks and stitches burning in their sides. They continued making up these stories about each of the passers-by that they saw, with each story growing even more ludicrous than the last. In fact, their little game went on for so long that they only stopped when the waitress approached their table again and collected their empty plate.

"I'm sorry to bother you when you seem to be having such a good time but, well, we're about to close up." She said politely. Both Jaune and Ruby blushed a little as they realised the time and that they had both been sat there for the best part of the evening. Gathering what possessions that they had brought with them, they paid, thanked the waitress and stepped out into the evening air once more. A slight chill had settled over the city in the absence of the sun and after the warmth of the little bistro, both of the teenagers shivered. Taking her hand in his own, Jaune walked alongside his date back towards the airport.

As they walked, he allowed his mind to wander over the evening's events. He thought for a long while about just how he felt about the little rose walking beside him in comfortable silence. He felt like he understood his feelings a little better than he had before. With a nod he made his conclusion, he did like Ruby. She was a girl that he could relax around and be at ease without the fears of messing up and looking stupid. She was just as socially awkward as he was and in a way that meant that she understood him in a way that not many others did. In terms of looks, the little rose certainly had them. She might not have been beautiful in the traditional sense, yet she had a certain innocent charm to her appearance which made her seem only all the more endearing. It was definite that he liked the little rose, the question remained now as to whether or not he liked Pyrrha too and if he did, who was it that he wanted to be with. These were some of the most frightening questions that he had ever faced.

Before long, they had boarded their flight and settled back into their seats. The four huge engines of their craft whirred to life and lifted them off of the landing pad and high up into the air. The little rose shuffled closer to her date and curled up into his side with a contented smile on her face. She was completely happy with how things had gone and couldn't imagine anything which might have made it better. Judging by the look on the knight's face, he still had to make up his mind but Ruby was sure that their evening had gone a long way towards her winning his heart. Still smiling, she closed her vibrant silver eyes and before long, fell asleep on him.

* * *

It was beginning to get late when they began their final approach towards Beacon Academy's landing pad. Once the craft had settled Jaune made to stand and only then realised that Ruby was still asleep. One look at her calm face and bright smile was enough for him to decide not to wake her. Lowering himself back tentatively, he slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and under her legs. Picking her up, he began carrying her off of the aircraft and back towards their shared dorm room. Her only response to being lifted was to curl herself even closer to him, so much so that her gentle breaths could be felt tickling the hairs on his neck.

Jaune walked at a slow and measured pace so as not to wake her, because of this, the walk back to their room which ordinarily took around ten minutes, ended up taking closer to twenty. Yet at last he stood before the simple white door of the team JSPR dorm room. Taking extra care not to drop the rose, Jaune reached out and knocked gently on the door. It was late, but Weiss was still usually awake at this time cramming for some class test the following day.

He wasn't mistaken, mere seconds after he knocked the door opened to reveal a somewhat disgruntled looking heiress. Her usually brilliant, icy eyes were half lidded from lack of sleep and her pristine ponytail was looking somewhat bedraggled, her signature tiara sat lop-sided. She looked at them with a mixture of weariness and frustration.

"Just where have you been?!" She asked, her voice hushed in an attempt to avoid waking any of their neighbours.

"Sorry, we ended up in a cafe for a long while and then Ruby fell asleep, I didn't want to wake her so the walk back took longer." Jaune explained hurriedly, feeling his own fatigue beginning to set in. Weiss didn't seem to appreciate his answer however and gave him her best tired attempt at a glare with a soft 'hmph'.

"That is kind of romantic..." she muttered softly, barely loud enough for him to hear. When he asked her to repeat what she had said, the tiny heiress blushed a bright scarlet.

"J-just try to be more mindful of your teammates in future!" she stammered and hastily turned away to return to her seat at the desk, upon which sat a huge stack of papers with line upon line of the heiress' flowing handwriting across them. Jaune chuckled softly at his team mate's apparent embarrassment and carried the little rose petal over to her bed. He set her down gently upon the soft covers and tucked her in as best he could. With a soft kiss on the forehead he shuffled off to their shared bathroom to prepare himself for bed.

The heiress watched her two teammates out of the corner of her eye, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Despite how much she wanted to be mad at the two of them for coming back so late and being out so long, she simply couldn't. If it did all work out, the two of them would undoubtedly make a cute couple. Yet deep in her gut, Weiss simply couldn't escape the feeling that it wouldn't all end happily ever after for her partner and their leader. With a sigh, she finished her sentence and made her way over to her bed, crawling under the sheets she soon fell asleep. Finally, the blonde leader came back into the room and headed over to the light switch, he paused for a long moment, looking at both Ruby and Pyrrha as they slept, his heart heavy that he was still no closer to his answer, despite his date with the rose. He flicked off the lights, plunging the room into pitch black before crawling into bed. Closing his eyes, he offered a hurried prayer to whatever gods might have been listening.

_'Please, if you're up there. Help me out here, give me a sign?'_ feeling a little self conscious he closed his eyes and with that he soon fell asleep.

* * *

Waking the following morning to bright sunshine. Outside the window, the air was clear and crisp. Birdsong could be heard as sparrows and starlings fluttered around from tree to tree, chasing one another in the morning light. Jaune groaned tiredly as he watched them, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He had slept well enough and yet, as was always the case, he still felt tired. Thankfully, with it being a Sunday the students of Beacon Academy were allowed a lie in, the final one before classes began again on the Monday. Each of his teammates seemed to have their own routine for the weekend depending on what it was that they were hoping to achieve.

Weiss was completely absent from the room, having long since gone down to the library to get some extra reading and research done, she always preferred to be a couple of lessons ahead of the class so as to give herself extra time to come to terms with the syllabus. Likewise, Pyrrha was also gone. Every weekend, the champion would rise early and head off to the academy's top of the range training facility to put herself through a brutal workout in peace before any of the other students arrived. Jaune had gone along once to train with her and had immediately decided never to do it again, it had been three hours of discomfort for the blonde, even some actual physical pain. She had giggled afterwards when he had struggled to so much as stand let alone walk around.

It was only Ruby that remained in the room, still sleeping soundly. Her mouth was slightly open, a fresh stream of dribble flowing from it and down her chin to add to the ever-growing pool on the sheets. She snored ever so lightly, the covers pulled up tight around her petite form as she slept. Jaune smiled warmly as he looked at her before quietly slipping out of bed and heading to the bathroom for a shower. He returned shortly after in a cloud of steam, still towelling off the thick blonde mat that his hair had become, to find more or less the same situation. He chuckled softly and lay back on his bed, fluffing his pillows and getting comfortable.

He reached under his bed and felt around for a few moments before retrieving what it was that he was seeking; the very latest 'X-Ray and Vav' comic. With barely suppressed excitement he opened the graphic novel and began to read. The story started right where the last had left off with the dastardly mad king warming up the world and holding the weather ransom. In the last comic he had been left on a cliff-hanger just as X-Ray and Vav had snuck into the Mad King's secret volcano lair, led by X-Ray the stealthy parkour master.

Jaune read through his comic for near an hour, soaking up every detail of every colourful panel. So absorbed in the story was he, that he didn't even notice Ruby stirring. The tiny Rose sat up with a lengthy drawn out yawn, her arms stretched out as far as they could go. It was only when the little rose climbed out of bed, still in her clothes from the previous evening that Jaune noticed he was no longer alone. He closed his comic and turned to look her straight in the eyes.

"Jaune..." she said with a yawn "What happened last night?"

"Hey Ruby! You're awake." he replied with a smile "It wasn't anything really, you fell asleep on the plane ride back and I didn't wanna wake you so I carried you to the dorm and tucked you in. After that I went to bed and here we are."

Ruby listened to the story with an ever growing blush on her face, how embarrassing! She couldn't believe that she had fell asleep on him and that he had carried her back. Yet despite just how embarrassing it was for her, she couldn't deny that it was one of the cutest things that anyone had ever done for her. It also showed that he liked her right? Why else would he have carried her instead of waking her, and why would he have tucked her in? It took everything that Ruby had to not squeal in her excitement. Instead she smiled, and headed into the bathroom for her shower. It was some time before the little rose came back out again and when she did Jaune was just finishing the final page of his comic.

"Argh! Why?!" he cried out in anguish as he cast the comic aside and covered his face with his hands. The graphic novel fell to the floor, open on the last page, the final panel of which had a giant explosion on it with the words 'to be continued' emblazoned in the middle in big lettering.

"Another one? What happened this time?" She asked with a slight giggle.

"It was all going really well, X-Ray and Vav were about to stop the Mad King but it turns out he was a sore loser so he tried to blow up the planet by overloading the Freeza flux capacitor. Vav used his slow motion powers and dived in the way but there was a huge explosion and now I have no idea what has happened! What if they kill Vav o-or the Mad King has done it and blown up the world?! What is this game of emotions we play?!" He asked in an almost hysterical manner, his eyes hungry for knowledge of his favourite heroes fate.

"Its okay Jaune, I'm sure Vav is just fine~" Ruby reassured him with a smile, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Where are the others?"

"They went out early, before I even woke up. They shouldn't be too long now. What's say when they get back we all go out and get breakfast together?" He asked with a smile, glad for the distraction from his comic book's infernal cliff-hanger ending. It was evil and he hated the writers for it, but he would be one of the first in line to buy the next one.

Ruby nodded to his reply and picked up her beloved Crescent Rose from beside her bed and carried it over to their team's desk. She set it down and from her belt produced a multi-too with which she began to disassemble and clean her weapon. Never before had Jaune seen anyone so meticulous in weapon maintenance. Both Weiss and Pyrrha worked to the highest standards but neither of them had the twinkle in their eyes that Ruby had now. She worked with a tender hand like that of a mother with a newborn. She took it apart with great care to keep every nut, bolt and screw in one place. Before long she had stripped it of its metal casing and blade so that just the sniper rifle and unfolding mechanism remained. Rather than simply clean the weapon, she replaced parts which she deemed as damaged, though what the damage was Jaune couldn't tell. Every part looked pristine to him.

He watched with great interest, occasionally asking questions about the functions of the various parts which Ruby was only too happy to answer. She explained the function of every piece, its advantages, disadvantages and why she had chosen it over lighter and cheaper parts. It was clear to any whom would have heard her that this scythe was the little rose's pride and joy. It had been hand built when she had first started at Signal Academy and had stayed with her ever since. To Jaune it was impressive that she had managed to build such a complicated weapon at such a young age, with little to no help. Was she really that interested in weapons as a kid that she really needed so little help in making one of her own.

Jaune settled in and observed her take every piece apart and reassemble it, paying particularly rapt attention to the mechanism inside her sniper rifle. It was fascinating to him to see just how the bolt worked and how the scythe itself helped her to absorb the recoil whenever she fired. It was just as she was reconstructing the bolt itself when both Pyrrha and Weiss came back into the room, chatting amicably about their respective mornings. Jaune smiled when he saw Pyrrha, her brilliant eyes locking with his for a brief moment before she looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Hey guys, Ruby and I thought it might be cool if we all went to lunch when you got back? We've been waiting ages and I'm starving~" He said with a light-hearted laugh.

"Well, eating is forbidden in the library so I am quite hungry..." Weiss nodded her approval.

"And I am always hungry for a good meal after training." Pyrrha agreed with a smile.

"Well then it's settled! When Ruby is done rebuilding Crescent Rose we will all head off down to the cafeteria and get us some good food."

"But that dunce could take forever! You remember the last time..."

Indeed the blonde did remember last time they had waited for Ruby to finish reconstructing her weapon. No-one knew how but somehow the rose had managed to take an additional three hours for her to finish. The blonde cringed at the memory, that had been a very hungry day indeed. Yet they were all cut off by a whooshing sound as rose petals fluttered around them and settled softly onto their carpet. The rose held up her finished weapon with a wide smile.

"Done~" she sang cheerily before dashing out the door, yet more rose petals floated to the ground in her wake. In an instant Weiss shot after her, red faced.

"Ruby! What have I told you?! No semblance in the dorm room! I am not cleaning the petals up after you!" She growled. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at one another in shock before bursting into laughter and following after their two teammates.

* * *

Jaune ducked just as Miló sliced through the air where his head had been but wasn't quick enough to avoid the powerful shield bash which followed as Pyrrha slammed Akoúo̱ into him. It caught him on the chin and his neck snapped back sending tingles and a hot sensation through the base of his skull. Bouncing off, the blonde fell flat on his back and lay there too stunned to make so much as a peep. Above him, Pyrrha dropped her guard and sheathed her weapons, sitting herself down beside him. Their day had passed by relatively quickly, there had been another food fight at lunch which the four of them had managed to somehow get themselves entangled in, yet aside from that it had been business as usual. Even now, Jaune and Pyrrha had headed up to the roof for another of their one to one training sessions.

"Are you alright Jaune?" She asked, concern plain to see in her voice.

"Yeah, that last hit just connected harder than I expected is all." He replied, sitting up with a groan.

"Sorry..." Her voice was soft and sad, almost as though she were ashamed of her actions. Jaune's expression softened as he shuffled over to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. She seemed to practically melt at his touch, leaning into his hug and fitting herself against his body perfectly. The champion buried her face in his neck as he held her and there sat there together for a long time, neither really wanting to move. Jaune sat looking out over the campus, his brilliant cobalt eyes fixed on the emerald beacon for which the academy got its name. His silent contemplation of the giant gem was cut short by the sound of his partner's voice speaking nervously. Tearing his eyes away from the beautiful view he looked down at her and was surprised to find her looking back up at him.

"Jaune?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" The champion continued, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Of course, you can ask and tell me anything." He smiled.

"W-well... you and Ruby went on that date last night and well... I don't want to impose but well I was wondering if I could maybe have my turn too? Maybe this Saturday?" Jaune was a little taken aback by these words and it was a little while before he could actually answer her. He took one of her hands in his both to calm her and stop his own from shaking.

"Pyrrha... Nothing would make me happier." he gasped as he realised what he had said, and drew back a little in shock. Those words had been from the heart, but how... did his heart really know more than his head? Seemingly Pyrrha was just as shocked, her bright green eyes widened but before he could say another word, she simply hugged him closer and tighter than before and buried her face in his chest, smiling brightly. One question spiralled around in his mind over and over as his heart did flips at his close proximity to the red haired victor.

_'Do I __**love**__ Pyrrha?'_

* * *

**Aw shit! just when you all thought it was gonna be sunshine and roses I go and throw that shit at you all. I hope you all enjoyed it if you did please favourite, follow and _especially_ review. Start theorising now who you think will win and who will end up sobbing in a puddle of their own sweet salty tears. Thanks for reading and on this bombshell I'll see you all next week :P**


	21. To Put a Champion on Ice

**Okay everyone I know its late and im sorry about that, I have been a very busy guy lately helping with my brother's rennovations to his house. I have been shattered. But here it is, Im a little glad to have kept you all in a little bit more suspense. Here is the chapter we've all been waiting for, the date with Pyrrha, I hope you enjoy~**

* * *

Jaune had had a monumentally busy week with what he could only describe as a mountain of homework to do. The Professors had been giving out far more than usual as the Vytal festival rapidly approached its crescendo with the monumental tournament, in the efforts of keeping their students busy and out of trouble as the excitement began to work its way into the hearts of their students. Beacon had come truly alive as the week had wound on as the countdowns had officially begun until the tournament was due to kick off in its usual spectacular glory. As a child, the blonde leader remembered watching it on the T.V. with his family, all nine of them crowded around the set with wide eyes and excited expressions. It had always marked a particularly competitive time within their household as the eight Arc siblings had bet everything from their respective chores to extra desserts on the fights and who they expected to win.

The same had to be said for the students at Beacon Academy. Every one of them had gotten whole-heartedly into the spirit and embraced the festival for what it was. There were no clear distinctions between the students as they all mingled together into one big melting pot of excitement. Yet perhaps the event which had stirred them up the most was the try-outs for the tournament itself the following week, it was there that this new found camaraderie ended and was replaced with a true competitive spirit. Naturally, the majority of the hunters and huntresses in training wanted to compete which served to reignite old rivalries between the schools and nations.

The big question which was being debated by all was where the world famed Pyrrha Nikos would stand. The four time champ was by all accounts, the one to beat, and given her situation she qualified to represent both the Mistral side and that of Vale. Her decision was the talk of the school as both the Vale students and those of Mistral sought to sway and persuade her into fighting for their side. They did so in every way possible, by bringing her refreshment in the library (despite a strict no food and drink policy), fetching her mail for her and ensuring that a plate laden with all of her favourite foods was ready and waiting in her usual place at every meal time.

Pyrrha herself didn't seem all to fond of the proceedings and often seemed to be putting on a forced smile so as not to offend these poor individuals. It didn't help that on top of these new social pressures, that she was organising a date between the blonde knight and herself. Ordinarily, Jaune would have insisted on organising it himself but the champion had been firm on the matter, claiming to have something special in store for them. Despite his inherently nervous nature when it came to both girls and any form of social situation, the awkward blonde found himself unusually calm about the whole situation. Though whether that was due to the responsibility being out of his own, somewhat clumsy, hands or whether it was due to his partner's smiles whenever she fed him details about what it was advisable to wear, he did not know. Regardless, the overload of homework gave him plenty of work to do to distract himself from thinking about it, something that he was eternally grateful for as it helped keep his mind from lingering on the growing dilemma that he was facing with his affections towards both his partner and Ruby. His words still pressed on his mind, lingering in the background of his thoughts, like an itch that was impossible to scratch. His numerous assignments occupied the vast majority of his time when he wasn't sparring with the champion, helping to pass the time swiftly. So much so that before he knew it, the night of his date arrived.

* * *

"Finally done!" Jaune grumbled with a sigh. The blonde knight set aside the small stack of papers which represented the sum total of his homework for Port's class. A five page, hand written assignment on the feeding habits and respective vulnerabilities of the common Grimm. It was an assignment that had left the blonde leader wanting to claw his own eyes out if only so that he had a genuine medical excuse for not completing the assignment. In fact, the subject matter had been so dry that even Weiss Schnee, the Ice Queen and patron saint of homework had seemed thoroughly fed up and bored writing about it.

"You would have been done sooner if you had worked on it with the rest of us~" The heiress gloated, a smug smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"I know, I know but I had to do that Oobleck assignment on the tactics of the 'Thundercats' units in the faunus rights wars." he replied as he organised and stapled his assignment together.

"Well that was _your_ fault for leaving it until the last minute. Even Ruby managed to finish that one in plenty of time."

"Is it really so hard to give me just a little bit of sympathy here?" Jaune teased, leaving his seat and shuffling over to collapse on his bed.

"Maybe" She replied with a slight amused smirk, her icy eyes following him every step of the way. They narrowed as he settled onto the soft mattress of his bed.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" She demanded.

"Well, I just finished my homework so I am going to take a nap." He sighed, his fatigue coming through in his voice.

"Oh no you're not. Have you forgotten what tonight is because it would be a shame if you have, especially after all of the work that Pyrrha has put into her planning and preparation. Honestly it was beautiful to watch, all that organisation, right down to the tiniest details." She began to wander, led aside by thoughts of incredible organisational prowess. To anyone listening, it would seem that it had actually been the heiress whom had planned this whole thing rather than the red haired champion. Bolting upright, Jaune grabbed his scroll and checked the time before leaping off of his bed and dashing into their team's shared bathroom. He had no time to waste.

Weiss chuckled as she watched him dart off at similar speeds to a caffeine supercharged Ruby. She slid to the side of her bed and stood, smoothing imaginary creases out of her uniform as she did so. With slow and measured steps, the heiress stepped over to her wardrobe and opened the doors. Inside, at the bottom rested two identical bags. Selecting the one on the left, she picked it up and closed the doors again. She set the bag down on Jaune's bed and settled back onto her own once more. Picking up a leather bound sketchpad and pencil from beneath her bed she began to sketch out various potential glyph designs. The book was aged, the leather binding scuffed and had clearly seen better days. It was peculiar that the heiress, a girl of precision and perfection, should own such a ragged looking object let alone that she might seem fond of it. She handled it with the utmost care as she drew.

Before long, the blonde came back out of the bathroom. His blonde hair was combed and untangled so that it hung in a straight and tidy looking manner. Still moving with a sense of great urgency and haste, he shot over to his bed, stopping dead at the sight of the bag. He looked at Weiss with a questioning expression even as the heiress rolled her eyes, setting her book carefully aside.

"I couldn't let you go out in your usual outfit again. It was bad enough that you did so on your date with Ruby. This is a date and you are required to dress yourself with a little more pride than usual so I got you some new clothes so that you might appear to have made an effort." She explained with a sigh.

"Really? Thanks Weiss! You're a softy at heart, I don't care what they say about you~" He replied with a cheeky grin which Weiss couldn't help but smile at. It felt oddly good to be able to help her teammates.

Reaching into the bag, Jaune pulled out the new clothes contained within. As Weiss had said, they were an awful lot nicer than anything he currently had. It was a blue flannelette shirt of a colour similar to that of his eyes. Yet despite its appearance, the material was some of the softest that he had ever felt. As well as the shirt was a set of jeans, admittedly they were similar to the pairs he already owned, only these lacked the numerous patch jobs and tears. They were also black in colour, granting a slightly more smart-casual look to the whole outfit. He quickly dressed himself, and just as he had done for his date with Ruby, he gave himself a quick hit of his aftershave. He cast a quick glance at Weiss who gave him a quick once over before giving him a nod of approval. Contented he checked his scroll and made his way to the door.

"Wish me luck?" He asked with a slight waver in his confidence. The homework had kept him distracted but now without them, his nerves were coming flooding back to him.

"I can't really do that given Ruby is my partner. It would be a bad idea to take sides but I'm sure you'll be fine. The clothes were a one off since it actually pained me to see you go on a date dressed as you did with Ruby. Thankfully she didn't seem to mind but that is besides the point. Now you had best get going, it would be a bad idea to keep Pyrrha waiting."

"But Weiss... I'm not due to meet her for another hour yet..." He protested.

"Well then nip down to the cafeteria or go for a walk. I don't care what just do something. I can't have you moping around here whilst I'm trying to sketch out my glyphs."Jaune listened for a few moments before nodding and leaving the room, heading down the corridor and ambling aimlessly across the campus in an effort to burn time.

Once he was gone, the heiress sighed in relief and took up her book again and pulled a loose sheet of paper out of it. Reading down the list she smiled mischievously, everything was going smoothly. Grabbing her pencil, she ticked off an item on her list _'1730: Give Jaune clothes and get rid of him'_. Checking her own scroll she counted down the minutes until at exactly 17:35 the door opened and a nervous looking Pyrrha entered the room. She looked at the young heiress with something akin to fear, a strange sight indeed to see in the four time champion's eyes. With a sigh, Pyrrha made her way over to her bed and perched on the edge, her hands clasped in her lap to prevent them from trembling. To her this was a very important night indeed, one which she simply couldn't afford to mess up. To do so would be to break her own heart and take away what she felt was a chance at being truly happy and leading a relatively normal life.

"Weiss... Are you sure about this? I appreciate all the effort you've put into planning this, I mean I have no idea where to start but are you sure that this isn't too much?"

"Oh nonsense, this is exactly the right amount of effort." She replied, dismissing her team mate's concerns with a wave of her hand. Heading to the wardrobe, she brought out the second bag and handed it to the champion.

"You really had this all planned down to the finest of details didn't you?" Pyrrha asked with a sly smile.

"Not me Pyrrha, you." Weiss replied with a cheeky wink before settling back onto her bed. "Now hurry up and get dressed or you'll be late."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the champion was almost ready. She re-emerged from the bathroom dressed in the outfit that Weiss had bought for her. It was a lot more casual that what she usually wore and perhaps even more impressively, it was more comfortable than her armour. Usually, whenever she took it off it left her feeling exposed and vulnerable, yet these clothes let her feel free and... normal. They were simple enough, just some well fitting jeans and a semi-baggy red sweater, rolled up at the collar. It was knit from a soft wool that felt incredible against her skin, far from the itching that she had been expecting.

Weiss called her over and had her sit against the side of her bed so that she might tame the champion's fiery hair. After another few minutes work, her hands flying like some kind of creature possessed the heiress sat back with a satisfied smile to admire her work. She had woven Pyrrha's famed red hair into a long plait which ran down and over one shoulder to hang just above her waist. It was a simple yet effective design which took her out of her set appearance and gave her a look of natural and classic beauty which, of course, she was.

"There! It is done, there is nothing more that I can think of which would benefit you in any way. You are ready. If this doesn't help him make up his mind then he truly is a lost cause." She spoke in a confident tone before her eyes grew wide at the realisation of what she had just said "N-not that I'm taking sides! I-I'm just doing what I can to help y-you both!" She spluttered out, desperately trying to back-pedal. The champion only laughed her sweet laugh and stood, turning to face the heiress she placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

"I know Weiss, I know. Thank you, for all that you've done." Pyrrha said graciously before turning towards the door.

"You had best be off, you don't want to keep the knight in scraggly armour waiting." Weiss replied with a rare smile. However just as the champion began to head towards the door she grasped a small glass bottle shaped elegantly like a rose. Dashing over to the champion, she tugged on her arm and gave her a couple of little blasts from the bottle. Pyrrha paused a moment, catching the fragrance. It was a pleasant and subtle scent which reminded her of the flowering gardens back home in Mistral that she had spent so many summers in. Giving the heiress a quick, warm smile, Pyrrha left the room and began the walk down to the main courtyard where she was due to meet her date. She felt every butterfly in existence fluttering round within her and frantically went over the plan for their date in her head, praying to every god and goddess both known and unknown for help.

* * *

Jaune broke into a light jog, frantically checking the time on his scroll. He was going to be late, even after all that Weiss had said about not being late and leaving his date waiting. Just why did he have to walk so far into the gardens, what was he hoping to achieve? It had helped him quieten his nerves and yet now they had sprung back up, ten times as bad as before. He had only wanted to kill the time he had before he was due to meet Pyrrha but he had failed to keep an eye on the time and now he was paying for it.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't see the figure step out in front of him until it was too late. He collided with them and together the two of them fell to the ground in a groaning heap of tangled limbs. Immediately Jaune scrambled to his feet, apologising frantically for not watching where he was going when he caught sight of the bright red hair and intense viridian eyes which could only have belonged to one person.

"P-Pyrrha?!" He stammered, immediately shooting forward and helping her to her feet, dusting her off as best he could and apologising all the while.

"Pyrrha I'm so so sorry, I was on my way to meet you but I got sidetracked in the gardens so I was running late and I wasn't watching where I was going and Weiss said that I shouldn't be late cause it's rude and you aren't hurt are you?" He spoke at a million miles a minute which only seemed to confuse the champion.

"Jaune. It's alright. I'm not hurt and you're not late. I was just on my way there now." She answered him, raising her hands to cut him off. Immediately the blonde stopped speaking and looked away, a bashful expression of his reddening face. She giggled slightly and waited patiently for him to recover from his embarrassment. When he did, he got his first look at her and it took his breath away. She was truly beautiful in a way that he had never seen before. Ruby had been sweet and innocent when they had gone on their date but that didn't quite compare.

Pyrrha looked incredible, completely different to how he usually saw her. Certainly, some features were still the same such as her signature green eye shadow. But to see her out of both her armour and uniform was a rare sight indeed, completely unlike anything that he had seen before. He looked her up and down over and over, his mouth flapping open and shut as he tried to form fords but couldn't. There were no words to describe what he felt as he looked at her. His heart pounded in his chest and the butterflies in his stomach had formed some kind of a fluttery tornado. He felt his knees turn to jelly and wasn't sure if they would be able to hold his weight.

"P-Pyrrha... you look _beautiful_." He finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper. That didn't stop a blush from spreading across the champion's face like wildfire.

"Thank you Jaune, you look very handsome yourself." She replied with her signature warm smile.

"S-shall we?" He asked as the rest of his body kicked into gear, offering her his arm. She nodded happily and entwined her own arm with his as the two of them made their way off and towards the airships, their minor indiscretion forgotten in the face of their evening together. As they walked, each of them stole glances at the other when they believed it would go undetected. The two of them walked along in companionable silence, content to simply be in each other's company.

"So what did you have planned for us this evening?" Jaune asked with a smile, trying to drum up a little conversation between them.

"Well, I thought that since its summer, it might be nice if we went ice skating... i-is that alright with you?" She asked a little nervously.

"Is that alright with m-... Yeah! I haven't been ice skating in ages. My sisters and I used to go all the time when we were younger." He replied, at his words, Pyrrha seemed to visibly relax a little.

"W-well, I've never been before so you'll have to show me the ropes." She continued, her voice still a little shaky.

"Sure! I mean I'd like that. Looks like I'll be teaching you for once huh?" He laughed playfully.

* * *

Before long, the two of them arrived at the Vale ice rink. All around the reception area were huge posters emblazoned with the 'Vale Beacons' hockey team logos. The two teenagers made their way across to the receptionist's desk. The receptionist behind it looked thoroughly fed up with their job. She was a middle aged woman with half moon glasses resting halfway down her nose and a face fixed in a permanent scowl.

"Two please." Pyrrha said with a smile. The receptionist looked at them for a long moment before processing their tickets. In a moment, the champion had paid and the two of them made their way through to the rink. Dropping onto the benches provided, they removed their own shoes and traded them for skates at the skate hire kiosk. Pulling his skates on Jaune felt as though he were climbing back onto a bike after years without riding it. Once his were tightened properly, he stood balancing on the blades and walked over to his partner. Crouching down he checked hers over and adjusted them a little.

"You ready?" He asked, offering her his hand.

"As I'll ever be." She replied, taking it and climbing shakily to her feet. Holding tightly onto the knight for support, the two of them slowly made their way over to the edge of the ice. The rink itself was mostly empty with the exception of a few hardcore skaters running backwards laps, and what appeared to be semi competent couples. Jaune stepped onto the ice first,getting used to the feel of the skates underfoot. Pyrrha gave him a nervous look, her brilliant green eyes darting between her date and the ice itself. Jaune smiled warmly to her and waited patiently as she slowly and tentatively stepped out and onto the ice again.

"There you go, see? It's not so bad is it?" He chuckled. She nodded but seemed more focused on trying to stay upright and not fall over in front of him. Taking her other hand he gently pulled her out onto the ice a little. She wobbled a little as she followed after him but a wide smile soon grew across her face.

"Jaune I-I'm doing it! I'm skating!" She chirped excitedly. Seeing her so happy to have taken the first step truly melted his heart.

* * *

Time seemed to stop for the two of them as they skated together. Pyrrha was a fast learner and aside from the occasional tumble which gave her a brief knock to her confidence, the champion progressed quickly. While they may have started out with slow laps around the rink sticking close to the barriers, it wasn't long before she was perfectly happy to be skating independently of him. Jaune felt an ever growing sense of pride as he watched her perform slow pirouettes on the ice and couldn't help but wonder whether or not this was the same feeling that she felt in teaching him the ways of combat. It was a rewarding experience to say the least.

Yet as with all things, the time for them to hang up their skates came all too soon for the both of them. Panting softly and with legs like lead they made their way off the ice and retrieved their shoes. Together the two of them sat together, putting their regular shoes back on, conversation flowing easily between the two of them.

"I can't believe how quickly you were learning Pyrrha!" Jaune smiled.

"Well, I did have the best teacher." She replied casually, giggling as she saw Jaune's cheeks turn red with a mixture of both embarrassment and pride.

"That was really fun Pyrrha, we should totally come back sometime. Maybe we should get Ruby and the Ice Queen to come along too and make it a team thing... T-that is if you want to?" he asked with a nervous smile.

"I-I think I'd like that Jaune... although I'd like to practice a little more with you first if that's alright?" Pyrrha looked at him with her big green eyes and Jaune's heart absolutely melted. She laughed mentally, knowing that she couldn't possibly have pulled that off any smoother if she had tried.

"Of course! What kind of coach would I be if I called it quits now and threw you out into the big wide world of skating. I would love to come here again with you." He cheered happily. "But for now, we should probably start making our way back. I don't wanna wake Weiss again. C'mon I know the perfect place to grab something to eat along the way~" He smiled and took her hand again, playfully tugging her along and out of the rink again.

* * *

Only a little while later, the two of them were stood outside Jaune's favourite fast food stand in down town Vale. Rising from it were a plethora of smells from the wide variety of dishes that it prepared. Numerous pots were sat on top of several gas hobs, each bubbling away with a different dish and each one rich with many spices. Behind the stand was a young woman, her hair barely contained underneath a worn old baseball cap, despite how frazzled she looked, the bright smile on her face never once faded as she served her customers. Every order was seemingly prepared with great care and love for the food involved. It was clear that she loved her food and that she loved the job. Jaune looked at Pyrrha with a slightly nervous expression. He knew that The red haired victor wasn't a major fast food fan and seeing the look on her face as they approached was more than enough to validate that belief. He looked at her with a warm smile as she seemed to want to object to their food choice.

"Its alright Pyrrha, it's not _all_ fast food here. Besides you can't eat totally healthy all the time. You gotta treat yourself once in a while." He said, the frown on her face lessened a little as they reached the front of the queue and Jaune placed in their orders. Before long, two fair sized tin foil packages were handed across to them.

"Thanks Tracy." Jaune sad with a smile as he paid, handing one of the packets to his partner as the two of them began a slow walk towards the air station. Pyrrha looked at it with a reserved expression before she slowly peeled away the foil to reveal a burrito. It was double wrapped with a generous dose of filling, one of the many reasons that Jaune chose to frequent that stand in particular. Taking a sidelong glance at her date, she watched as the blonde unwrapped his own and took a big bite out of it, a little of the filling escaping and running down his chin. With a slight blush of embarrassment, he quickly wiped his chin and took another bite. Looking back to her own, the champion shrugged before she too took a bite.

What she tasted was not at all what she had expected. It was a rich blend of spices, meat and chilli that left her whole mouth tingling and wanting more. Eagerly she took another bite, expecting it to be worse than the first yet it only amplified the sensation. Bit by bit she worked her way through the burrito, savouring the flavours and feeling of warmth that coursed through her body from head to toe. She could understand why it was that Jaune had defended the food now, it was incredible. Perhaps he was right? Maybe she should give herself a break every once in a while and treat herself to one of these. It was something that the two of them could do together after all.

To Jaune, it was clear to see that Pyrrha was a big fan of the food. It was written all across her face. Her face seemed to light up with ever bite that she took, her eyes glinting happily in the twilight. He Moved closer to her so that they were walking shoulder to shoulder, the champion pulling her food out of his reach as though she expected him to prey on it as she had often seen Nora do with Ren. Jaune only laughed.

"So you like the fast food huh?" He asked.

"It's incredible! One of the best things I have ever tasted." She blushed as Jaune cocked an eyebrow "I-I mean its still not very healthy but well... I was thinking that maybe you and I could come to Vale after one of our training sessions to get some more of these... Once in a while I mean."

"I'd like that Pyrrha." He smiled "Maybe we could make these a thing after your skating lessons." That was a suggestion to which the champion nodded emphatically. After that, the two walked in companionable silence, too wrapped up in eating their food before the evening chill got to them and they got cold. Of course, it wasn't long before Pyrrha had finished hers and found herself wanting more.

Disposing of the wrappings in the airport terminal, the two teenagers climbed on board the flight to take them back to Beacon, both of them more than a little disappointed that the night had come to an end and eagerly wishing that they might go back and do it all again. Yet their landing at Beacon pulled them out of such thoughts. With a soft yawn, Jaune got up and left the aircraft with his partner. The two of them made their way across campus and through the courtyard.

"Y'know Pyrrha, I really enjoyed tonight. It was something different." he smiled, reaching out and nervously taking her hand as the two of them walked.

"Yeah, I wont be forgetting tonight I don't think. I mean I ice skated!" She replied excitedly, though her heart skipped a beat as she felt his hand take hers. Yet before she knew what she was doing, she had interlocked her fingers with his, fretting as she felt her palms clam up for the first time in years.

"You did, we will make a champion skater out of you~" He teased. After that, the two of them walked in comfortable silence back to their dorm pausing only once they were outside the door. Smiling to his partner, Jaune took out his scroll and unlocked the door as the two of them made their way in for the night to join their two teammates. Both with wide smiles fixed on their faces and the blonde knight a sizeable step further towards knowing his own feelings. Internally the blonde felt that he had let Ruby down by treating he champion differently yet, to him he felt a burning desire to spend more time with his partner, a want that was more than simple platonic fondness. He had jumped at the opportunities to spend more time with her because in truth she was still somewhat of an enigma, there were many natural opportunities for the champion and her leader to spend time together, through their training and now for her wanting to learn to skate. There seemed to be no such opportunities with Ruby, as though their interactions were staged. Jaune found himself feeling more comfortable around Pyrrha, she was a warm and encouraging familiar presence who wanted Jaune to develop into the man he was. Jaune sighed knowing that one date wasn't enough to base his choice on, he would have to give himself more time. Perhaps at the end of the championships he would be able to make up his mind.

It broke his heart knowing that making any decisions either way would hurt one of his closest friends, yet it was unfair to string either of them along. It was unfair but that was love. There are always winners, and there are always losers.

* * *

**There, it is done and the poor blonde is still as clueless as ever! How very frustrating huh? Next time we get into the main arc of the story, the Vytal chapters. It will be interesting I hope as I reintroduce Penny (I kinda forgot about her but she will be back!). If you liked this, please do favourite, follow and always reviews help me gain a feel of audience reaction to my work. Once again I hope you all enjoyed this latest addition, sorry it was late. **

**As always I have been TheFlagshipArkos and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	22. An aftermath and a Tournament

**Hello again everyone, Welcome to yet another chapter in this tale. Not gonna lie, it is a hell of a lot longer than I had been anticipating (yay for filler) and now totals around 119,000 words which is absolutely bloody mental. It will be interesting to see just whether or not we can hit the 200,000 mark. If I do I might throw in a fluffy whiterose/lancaster/bumblebee for all of you. One final note before I leave you to my mad musings, I receive a fair amount of complaints regarding spelling. Please, before you have a go do make sure it is actually misspelt and not just the British manner of spelling it. Many thanks and enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Jaune stepped out of Oobleck's class amidst the crowd of teenagers all frantically fighting to get out the door. He sighed in frustration as he was jostled about in the rush until eventually with one major shove he was knocked off balance and sent flat on his backside, his books flying every which way. With a pained groan he gathered up his various notes, textbooks and work. Turning around he found a familiar set of heels, looking up he was met with the intense emerald eyes and warm smile of his partner. Her hands were held out offering him several of his books. He took them and packed them into his bag, hurriedly climbing to his feet and dusting himself off. It seemed a little eerie that she had been able to creep up on him without him having even the slightest clue as to her presence.

"Thanks Pyrrha." He said with a slight blush creeping over his features.

"You're welcome Jaune, although we did tell you to wait a few moments before trying to leave so you wouldn't get caught in the crowds." Despite the fact it seemed that she was chastising him, her tone was as kind and friendly as ever.

"Yeah I know but they're serving my favourite food in the cafeteria today and I didn't want to miss out like last time."

"Wait, today is roast dinner day?" She asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She snatched his hand and set off at a run towards the cafeteria just as Ruby and Weiss exited Oobleck's room to join them. Both girls took a moment to realise what was happening before they too began running to catch up.

It was a few moments before Jaune's mind caught up with the situation and he legs spurred into motion, finally getting him running alongside his partner instead of simply being dragged along. He was a little surprised at Pyrrha's reaction to finding out that it was roast lunch being served, it was clear that she had developed an affinity for the meal but he hadn't believed that she too was fanatical about it. She always seemed so calm and indifferent to such things. In fact it was only when the kitchen staff made Mistral foods that she seemed to get truly excited, he could understand why. A taste of home can help alleviate even the worst home sickness and leave one feeling a little more at peace, ready for even the most homework heavy of classes.

* * *

It wasn't long afterwards that the four of them burst into the school's huge dining hall and, without skipping a beat, made their way over to the line of students queuing for food. It was there that their mad, headlong dash finally ended and she released Jaune's hand. The blonde, Weiss and even Ruby all doubled over panting heavily. Indeed it was only Pyrrha who seemed unaffected by their brief run, perhaps due to some aspect of her training. Once he had had a chance to recover, Jaune slowly stood back up again and looked around. All around the hall, hundreds of eyes were fixed on he and his team.

_'Great... this again.'_ He thought with a sigh. Indeed, ever since word had gotten around that he, Jaune 'goofball' Arc, had gone on a date with _the_ Pyrrha Nikos he had attracted a lot of unwanted attention from the other students. In most cases it seemed to be a fascination brought about by curiosity, students wondering just how he of all people had managed to capture her interests. Yet in other cases it was a little more extreme, split down a love/hate line. He had lost count of the amount of times that he had been stopped in the hallways around the expansive Beacon campus by students wanting to congratulate him or rant at him about how he didn't deserve a girl like Pyrrha. In truth he couldn't help but agree with the latter, he too couldn't see what it was that he had done for the universe to grant him such a magnificent opportunity. He felt bad knowing that he was still some way off from making a decision and that they would both be kept on tenterhooks for however long it would take him to actually make that decision. It wasn't fair but just what choice did he have? If he rushed and made a mistake then he would break someone's heart unnecessarily and everyone would end up hurt. No, he had to be absolutely sure.

"Alright everyone get back to your meals and stop staring like a bunch of mindless dolts!" Weiss cried to the assembled students, her frustration taking over for a brief instant. Immediately the room returned to normal as the air once again filled with the sounds of knives and forks against plates as well as the low hum of conversation. It seemed that no matter where you stood on the issue, upsetting the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company still seemed like a bad idea.

Sighing in relief, Jaune returned his attention to the dinner queue and watched with a frown as it shifted at an agonizing pace. Fear swelled within his stomach as he considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, they had already run out and he would be forced to have whatever alternative had been prepared. Behind him, Pyrrha seemed to be having the same thoughts as he was. It was unclear how he had ended up in front of her but in a way he was subtly grateful as it increased his chances of scoring a hot lunch of delicious roast beef. The champion's eyes were fixed on the trays of food ahead. One by one the students passed through and it was clear to see that the selection of roast meats and vegetables were reducing at a steady rate.

At long last Jaune made it to the front of the queue to see that there was just about one serving remaining of roasted goodness. With a wide smile and a quick prayer of thanks he requested the full roast and watched, his mouth watering, as they plated it up and handed it to him over the counter. Behind him he could hear the collected groan of the remaining unfed student body but he didnt care. He made his way happily over to his team's usual table and set his food down. Taking a seat he waited for his team to join him before digging in, it was only polite after all and he didn't want to appear rude, especially in front of Weiss... He still had the bruises from the last time.

Soon after they joined him, though something wasn't quite right. Pyrrha sat down opposite him with a serving of what appeared to be a lasagne. Yet in place of her usually bright and cheery expression was one of extreme disappointment. His heart broke seeing her in such a state, seemingly she had been hoping for the roast far more than he had thought. He looked from her plate to his own and back again, his mind frantically tossing the dilemma over and over until finally he gave in. With a sigh he reached out and slid her plate away from her and towards himself. Pyrrha looked at him with confusion, matched only by their two teammates. That was until he slid his precious roast lunch over and in front of her. She took one look at it and then to him, her frown quickly shifting to a brilliant smile, her eyes twinkling with a single question; 'Really?'. He nodded the affirmative with his best attempt at a smile before digging into his newly acquired lasagne. A team leader must look after his teammates first and then himself after all. Although that still didn't make up for the absence of deliciously tender beef, cooked to perfection and served with crispy roast potatoes... Still, he supposed his lasagne was about as good a substitute as he could ask for. It was still excellent of course. Both Weiss and Ruby still looked at him with an expression of surprise. This was an unheard of incident, Jaune had never been the type to sacrifice his food before. In fact, anyone who had ever gotten too close to it had always been likely to end up on the receiving end of his fork.

Seeing him give up his lunch for his partner, especially one which he looked forward to every time it came around was a profound happening indeed, and one which made Ruby's little heart sink. It was a sign of deep affection for the champion, an affection which she had yet to see demonstrated in any way towards herself and that worried her. Had Jaune already made up his mind with Pyrrha? No, she quickly discounted that as an option. He wouldn't leave her hanging if that were the case, it just wasn't like him to be so cruel. He would tell her. Despite this though, such a display had her worried, she would need to double up her efforts but how? Perhaps Yang would know... She quickly discarded that thought. This wasn't something that she wanted to speak with Yang about, it had been awkward enough in the lead up to her date with him when the brawler had helped her get ready.

No, Yang simply wasn't an option. She considered Blake but immediately dismissed the idea based on just how close she was with Yang, Nora seemed a little too excitable and her repeated reference to breaking legs frankly worried the little rose. That left only one person... it was a long shot but perhaps it could work, after all who could Ruby trust if not her own partner. Weiss Schnee.

* * *

"You want me to do what?!" The heiress cried in surprise, Ruby had managed to drag her off to the training complex, away from all of the others, and raise her request.

"I want you to help me win Jaune over Pyrrha." She repeated with the slightest hint of desperation in her voice, if that wasn't enough, the heiress also had to contend with the huge silver puppy dog eyes. Even after so long being partnered with the little rose, Weiss still hadn't worked out a strategy to resist Ruby's puppy-dog eyes and she seemingly never would. Only Ruby's older sister seemed strong enough to stare Ruby down, it was an enviable ability to be sure and one which Weiss felt somewhat jealous about. The heiress had lost count of the number of cookies which she had unwillingly bought Ruby after a blast of those puppy-dog eyes.

As it was, this time Weiss managed to beat her personal best and resist for a whole five seconds before eventually caving in with a begrudging sigh. She rolled her eyes in sheer disappointment at having once again been bested by her little partner. It was fair after all, especially since she had really gone out of her way to help Pyrrha out with her date for the blonde. She had already chosen a side, in her own subtle way. She was afterall, rather fond of the idea of Pyrrha and Jaune becoming a couple. In her mind the two accented one another perfectly... Yet there was still Ruby to consider, she too was infatuated with the blonde dolt beyond all knowledge and reason. Her mind whirring to come up with a solution, Weiss finally replied.

"Alright Ruby... I'll help now please stop pulling that face!" She said, somewhat frustrated with the whole situation. Thankfully she had a plan, she would of course help Ruby like any good partner. Yet that help didn't necessarily have to be the best she could possibly provide. She would help a little but not really lend herself to the little rose fully. After all, if she was chasing Jaune then shouldn't it be mostly her that won him over? Come to think of it, she hadn't done any more for Pyrrha, simply buy them both clothes and sent them off to try and enjoy their date together. It was only fair then that she do the same for Ruby.

"So what do we do?" Ruby asked eagerly, once again pulling Weiss out of her deliberations.

"Hmm what? Well I guess you should probably try to spend a little more time with him. With the tournament coming up soon that will be a little difficult though since he and Pyrrha will both be training a lot more. I guess all I can suggest is that you try and sit next to one another in class and during meals. That will at least give you an opportunity to talk more. Other than that, we might have to wait until the tournament itself, once we're there you will wow him with your abilities. Who knows, you might end up fighting Pyrrha herself." Weiss explained her idea in a rather matter of fact tone. In truth she couldn't help but find it a little fitting if Ruby and Pyrrha ended up fighting one another in the tournament. At least that way it would be easier to decide whom Jaune would end up with. In truth it was hard to tell just who would win in such a fight as both fighters seemed to be at the height of their respective fields. Ruby had, after all, been allowed into Beacon a whole _two years_ early.

"Alright..." Ruby replied, mulling it all over "We wait until the tournament to pounce. I gotta start training! I'll see you later Weiss!" She said enthusiastically, yet before Weiss could reply she had shot off in a puff of Rose petals to go and retrieve her weapon. Shaking her head the Heiress made her way back to the room to work on her homework projects.

* * *

The remaining weeks until the tournament try-outs passed all too quickly for Ruby between the intense training sessions that she subjected herself to as well as the seemingly harsh homework load that the faculty placed upon the students to try and prepare them for the practical exams at the end of the year. Yet to Ruby, none of that mattered. She had worked herself to her very limits physically, until she had been forced to crawl back to the dorm room from the training complex and even then some days she didn't even make it back. Weiss had found her asleep in the locker rooms on numerous occasions, often without any knowledge of how she had ended up there or what had happened to tire her out that much.

Yet at long last, the day for sign ups arrived. Every single student in the school seemed to be out in force, either through a desire to sign themselves up or simply to support their friends and teammates who did. Thus it was that Jaune and his team were fighting their way through the crowd to the registration booth. The blonde knight had no intentions of signing himself up for the contest itself, he was only there to support both Ruby and his own partner. Weiss had opted out of competing too, citing that she had far too much homework to be able to fully commit herself to fighting in the competition without jeopardising her academic average for the year. So out of team JSPR it was only Ruby and Pyrrha whom were due to put their name forward. Team BRNY too were signing up to fight in the tournament, all of them. Nora wasn't about to miss out on the fight and as usual she had dragged Ren into the whole affair and he had agreed, simply out of a wish to satisfy his partner and lifelong friend. Both Blake and Yang seemed truly invested in the idea of fighting in the tournament, both of their eyes burned with a searing determination unlike anything that Jaune had ever seen before. It was as though the two of them were setting out to take on the world which, considering the diversity of the fighters, they were.

Jaune sighed as he saw the sheer size of the queue that they were facing. Thankfully, the students from the various other nations had already registered prior to coming to Vale. This at least kept the lines down to roughly a fifth what they would have been. With a chuckle, Jaune saw that it was Oobleck who sat behind the registration desk, his arms a blur as he moved at incredible speeds to finish signing up every student who uttered their name within five feet of the kiosk. Every so often he would take a minuscule break to sip from his ever present flask of what must have been some really strong coffee. Despite having such abundant energy, the doctor was starting to look a little ragged around the edges. His usually messy hair was outdoing itself in terms of its chaotic nature and his tie was for once completely absent. Yet for as tired as he looked, he was making incredible progress through the tidal wave of applicants, so much so that it only took a fraction of the time which Jaune expected for them to reach the front of the line. They had barely given their name and team before they were ushered away from the kiosk and told that their application had been successful. Slips of paper were thrust into both Ruby and Pyrrha's hands, written on them were the precise details for their first fights including the time, venue and their respective subdivisions.

Shortly after they were joined by an equally confused and disoriented team BRNY, well, mostly disoriented. Ren seemed to maintain his usual calm and collected self. Taking a brief moment to catch up with themselves, the now registered fighters read through their respective pieces of paper. To Jaune's utter dismay both Ruby and Pyrrha were scheduled to fight at the same time, on the same day and in different locations. He would have to choose who to go and watch. To make matters worse, both of the girls seemed to be looking at him with expectancy, as though they were waiting for him to make that decision at that very moment.

"S-so now you guys have signed up, can we please go get some lunch? I'm starving!" He waved it off even as his stomach growled loudly. He couldn't have been more grateful for his own body backing him up at that moment. Hearing his belly growling, both the girls' expressions softened as they retook their usual casual expressions. Nodding in agreement, their group shifted off and down towards the dining hall.

As they walked, Weiss dropped back to walk along beside her leader, a slight smile on her face for once as she finally spoke.

"Well, well Jaune. Looks like you will be making a choice far sooner than you had thought." she said teasingly in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear.

"I know... It's a disaster. Whoever I go and see is gonna seem like the one I have a preference for... I mean Pyrrha is my training partner so she will be expecting me to go see her and support her just like she has supported me. So if I don't go she will be really upset. But on the other hand Ruby would take it really badly if I didn't go and watch her first fight. She hasn't ever competed at this level before like Pyrrha has so she will want me there to share in the experience... What do I do?!" He asked in desperation, the question wasn't directed at anyone in particular. He was simply throwing it out to the universe and hoping the cosmos might provide him an answer. Whichever way he chose to go he would end up hurting someone, yet at the same time simply not going to see either wasn't an option either... it was a mess.

"You know Jaune, if I were you I'd go and watch Pyrrha. She is your training partner and coach, Ruby will understand that. Don't worry I'll be at her match and I'll let her down easy. After the preliminaries, the only times they will share a match is if they are fighting one another so this shouldn't be an issue." Weiss offered nonchalantly. Jaune listened to what she suggested and considered it, it was a fair option but he couldn't work out the heiress' motive. Why was she so willing to help him out here. With a growing grin he replied.

"And then you get to comfort Ruby, she will realise just how wonderful her partner truly is and together you can both run away to live in the family castle in Atlas right?" He teased. What he didn't expect was the vibrant shade of red which Weiss turned in a matter of seconds only. He was hard pressed just to keep himself from laughing. It was so unusual to see Weiss lose her composure to such an extent as she had just now.

"Wha-! I uh... No! I mean... I guess she is quite sweet but... I'm not taking sides!" Weiss stammered, her face only growing a deeper shade of red with every passing moment. It was the most worked up that Jaune had ever seen her, far from her usually calm and collected self.

"It's okay Weiss. I won't tell another soul, your secret is safe with me. Although I don't think I can just side with one or the other, not until I have truly worked out how I feel about them both. It's still all so confusing to me..." he sighed, it was the truth. Though more recently he had noticed Ruby growing a lot more friendly in recent times. More often than not the two of them had ended up in a long debate over who would win in a fight should X-ray and Vav ever turn on one another. It had certainly not helped his confusion one bit but he couldn't deny that he did enjoy them, they were a relaxing alternative to the usually heavy talk that their team shared.

"Thank you... In truth I'm not quite sure what I should do myself." She said, her voice shaking a little as though she were unsure of herself. It was odd indeed that she could go from being so confident and self assured to so quiet and nervous, but then again that was what love did to people. It was a powerful force to be sure and not necessarily one to be messed with.

"Yeah I know what you mean. All I can say is be yourself Weiss and if it's meant to be then things will work out." He smiled and much to his surprise, she offered him a smile back. It was a rare moment and the blonde was sure to commit it to his memory. To him it was surprising just how far Weiss had come in the last few months. The arrogant and pompous heiress was gone and had been replaced with someone much nicer to be around. This Weiss was caring and compassionate with a will to help her friends rather than lord over them on some form of metaphorical high-horse. This Weiss was his teammate and his friend.

Not long after, they found themselves in the dining hall, huge plates stacked high with mounds of food. Jaune had constructed himself a literal mountain of mashed potatoes with sausages poking out of it and gravy lavishly drizzled all over it. It was agreed by all present that it was more of an art piece than it was a meal but the blonde happily tucked in all the same, mining out seams of sausage from within the creamy potato bedrock. He was in his own little world as he ate. It wasn't until over half an hour later that he actually finished the meal, pushing away his plate and leaning back in his seat, contentedly patting his now full belly. Such actions brought a giggle to Pyrrha's lips and a blush which followed soon after as all eyes turned to face her.

Jaune sighed as all eyes soon turned onto him as if drawing some connection between both him and his partner. He leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his head firmly in his hands. It served a double purpose in both allowing him to conceal his rapidly reddening face as well as granting him a reprieve from the piercing eyes of the other students. The tournament was fast approaching and he would have to make his choice. It wasn't one that he was looking forward to.

* * *

***Gasp* Weiss you sneaky devil, been playing matchmaker this whole time! Christ I love writing this version of Weiss so much. Yes she is so OOC it is probably painful to some of you but right now, I don't care anymore. This whole story split from canon during initiation so I have writers license to do as I wish at the moment haha. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If you did please be sure to favourite, follow and most importantly; review. Let me know what you think and I will love you forever. On a side note if I were to open up commissions how many of you would be interested? It would be around $1/£1 per 100 words ish with a max of 5000 words (the length of one full chapter) and I will write whatever ships and characters you like. Let me know and as always I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	23. A Final Flash?

**Tournament chapter is here! And yes, I do realise it is once again late. I do apologise but I have a decent excuse this time! I have recently earned a place at a university to study a degree in archaeology. This does mean a couple of changes. **

**I will honestly do everything I can to keep updates as close to one a week as is possible but the frequency will likely drop as I get to work on my loans, accommodation and course. I will be skipping an entire week for freshers because I plan to be very drunk with my new flatmates etc etc. Next, this story will be taking a backseat to my actual degree. Im not paying a stupid amount of money to not take it seriously, I have a bet to win and I intend to win it. Other than that, this will go on, business as normal.**

**Thank you for reading this announcement, we now return to your scheduled reading.**

* * *

The week of the Vytal tournament arrived in spectacular fashion. All of Vale came alive with the hustle and bustle of the huge tourism influx. What Jaune had considered to be a busy city seemed calm and sleepy in comparison to how things were now. There were all kinds of people from all over the world, human and faunus alike. The old prejudices seemingly having been put aside in favour of everyone enjoying the tournament together. Even though it were just the try-outs it felt like the whole of Vale and the rest of the world had turned out to see their which of their students would take steps towards becoming the new champion of Vytal. The streets were decked out with huge banners in vibrant colours, all offering support to particular fighters. Not surprisingly, there were a great many with Pyrrha's name emblazoned across them. Being the four time Mistral regional champion had of course made her one of the favourites to win.

As he walked along towards the stadium following after the immense sounds and crowds, Jaune passed a great many street vendors all pedalling their limited edition tournament merchandise. Their various calls and sales pitches combined with the excited hum of chatter from the crowds all melded into one solid atmosphere which made Jaune's heart beat faster and sense of excitement grow. It wasn't perfect though, far from it. He had been driven to choose between going to watch two of his teammates, not just any two though. These were the two girls whom in the past weeks had been vying to be the sole proprietor of his affections and who he, frustratingly, had been unable to determine his own feelings for.

Life had thrown him a cruel curve ball but having followed his teammate Weiss' advice, the hapless blonde had chosen to follow his partner through the tournament over the little reaper. It hadn't been a fun decision to make but Weiss had promised that she would break the news to Ruby gently. He knew that Ruby would be upset and disappointed, he also knew that it was pretty cowardly of him to duck out of telling Ruby himself but he hated the idea of upsetting either one of the girls. Pyrrha was his training partner and coach though, she had taught him everything that he knew about fighting and so he felt as though he owed it to her to go and watch her fight. He was also a little more than curious to see how she fared against the best talent from each of the other four nations. He had seen Pyrrha demolish entire teams at once on her own but that was just Cardin and his cronies. These were the top athletes from all across Remnant, the finest of the finest who had been training for months if not years just to compete. It would be interesting to see how they would compare to the best that Beacon, the finest combat academy around, had to offer.

Following on he finally reached the main stadium in Vale. Two stadiums had been prepared for the tournament qualifiers in Vale, each for handling two micro leagues composed of half the fighters each. The two micro leagues were set to complete themselves and then the overall victors of those would move on to fight against the foreign fighters for the championship title. Sadly, Ruby and Pyrrha had each been placed in separate leagues meaning that they were each in a different stadium from the other.

Making his way in through the doors, he showed his ticket and was ushered through to the stands. He ended up in a pretty good seat around half way up the stands. Whilst it was difficult to see the actual fighters themselves, the hugs screens hung on each of the four sides of the stadium showed a zoomed in live feed of the fight. The stadium itself was a state of the art facility with an alterable environment. It was designed to test fighters to their very limits in all manner of environments and situations. Sitting back in his seat Jaune settled in for a long afternoon of entertainment. He wasn't disappointed.

Pyrrha's fight wasn't until much later that day so he was expecting a predominantly dull afternoon with a few intermittent intense rounds, he was undeniably wrong. Every fight was evenly matched and kept him on the very edge of his seat. All around him arguments broke out over which of the two fighters were more likely to come out on top and at the end the crowds roared in celebration both for the winners and losers. Refreshments and snacks moved through the stands between bouts and the atmosphere was truly electrifying with no-one in the crowd ever knowing who would come out on top in a match. There were as diverse a range of weapons as Jaune could ever have thought up in his wildest dreams ranging from boomerang knives to one fighter who came equipped with two electrically charge whips which crackled ominously and exploded in showers of sparks with every impact.

The matches wore on through the day and into the evening until eventually, when Jaune didn't think that things could possibly get more exciting, the lights in the stadium cut out leaving the whole audience in near pitch black, the sun having set long ago. There was a confused murmur which swept through the crowds. There were cries by many that it was just a power cut, yet they were disabused of that notion when two single beams of light shot down into the centre of the arena. They began to swirl around, changing colours until one turned solidly red and the other, gold. Pyrrha's colours. A drum roll began, slow and subtle at first but rising in volume until it rumbled around the whole stadium. Jaune felt his heart almost stop within his chest as his excitement and that of those around him peaked. An announcer's voice thundered out, catching them all by surprise.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The voice began "We thank you for your patience and after an exciting day of incredible fights we are proud to present the one you have been waiting for!" The crowd's applause and cheers roared louder than ever before as the announcer stirred them up into a frenzy. They were going crazy.

"It is the fight of the night, the bout between the four time Mistral champion and loved cereal Mascot Pyrrha Nikos and little known Arakido Simio, third year student at the illustrious Beacon academy! Let's bring them out!"

He was answered by rapturous applause from all around the stadium, droves of people were up on their feet in their excitement, eagerly anticipating the dramatic emergence of the two young fighters. Jaune couldnt help but think it seemed a little unfair since the other fighters before hadn't been given such a lavish introduction but the rest of the audience didn't seem to agree with him The two spotlights flew to one end of the arena and focussed in on the entrance from which Arakido emerged. That was when Jaune got his first decent look at his partner's opponent as the live feed screens zoomed in on his face. He had long shaggy black hair which hung messily over his face, through a gap in the locks Jaune could see a single cruel red eye. Jaune could see a sense of malice burning within the boy.

"Here he is everybody, Arakido Simio! A relative newcomer to the tournament circuit but blazing trails today with a total of six victories through knockout and five through aura exhaustion!" the crowd gasped in surprise as they looked closer at this mysterious fighter. He stepped into the arena and sat himself cross-legged on the floor in waiting. The lights cut out again and focussed in on the other entrance, there was another drumroll as once more the lights cut out. The snapped on again shortly after merging into a single beam of bronze coloured light.

"And here she is folks, the one you've all been waiting for. Four times champion in Mistral, an undefeated warrior and winner of your hearts. Give it up for the one and only invincible girl Pyrrha Nikos!" The crowd went crazy as she stepped into the beam of light and waved, on the screens Jaune could see that the light was doing nothing to hide the growing shade of red on her cheeks, most likely brought about by the embarrassment of her introduction. Pyrrha never was one for boasting. To Jaune, the light was a rather flattering one for the champion, making her eyes sparkle in a way that sent his knees to jelly. It was still incredibly hard for him to believe that she could ever feel anything romantic towards him, the blonde goofball of Beacon but it filled him with a sense of great pride to know that she did. Contrary to what he may have expected, he felt rather protective. He knew of course that she was an incredibly talented fighter, yet he still felt fear that she may be hurt in the upcoming bout.

Jaune watched on in anticipation as the two fighters stepped into the ring. Everyone in the stands fell silent as they waited to see just what the two fighters would do. To Jaune, all thoughts of Ruby were fogotten as tensions racked up and his brilliant blue eyes focussed on the two tiny figures in front of him. Both Pyrrha and Arakido stepped forward and shook hands, the universal gesture of goodwill between fighters. Seemingly the moment the contact was broken, the floor split open leaving two platforms beneath the fighters. Once the floor had drawn away, another was risen into place, the environment for the fight being revealed. Much to Jaune's surprise it was Ice that rose through the floor. Constructed through the use of dust, it was rough and jagged. Huge ice hillocks formed and jutted up towards the sky above like so many frozen daggers. Jaune took a sharp breath in knowing that Pyrrha often struggled with ice.

He had been ice skating with her again since their date and even though she had come on leaps and bounds, he was unsure whether or not the champion was ready to engage in active combat against such an opponent. Win or lose, it was certain to be an interesting fight unlike any other that day. Looking to the giant screens, the champion seemed as impassive as ever. If she was nervous or afraid then she was certainly doing a great job of hiding it. She stood confidently, her armour gleaming slightly under the brilliant lights of the stadium so that she seemed to glow. Her lips were fixed in a confident smile and her viridian eyes were narrowed on her opponent. With an air of confidence she stepped off of her platform onto the now frozen surface of the arena. Her opponent matched the gesture, albeit with a little less grace than the red haired victor.

Pyrrha stood solidly, little sign of movement between her body and the ice underfoot. Across from her Arakido seemed a little less sure of his footing. That was good, perhaps he wouldn't hold the advantage after all. The screens went black and displayed three black circles. One by one they turned amber as the match countdown began. The instant that the third circle lit up they all shot to green and a klaxon sounded.

Without skipping a beat Pyrrha shot behind an ice formation just as two dust rounds zipped in her direction. Thankfully, the ice had been formed using raw dust and as such was far more resilient than its all natural counterparts. The bullets embedded themselves in the ice that she had ducked behind. Looking at Arakido she got her first look at his arsenal just before he too took cover behind one of the ice formations. From what she had seen, he seemed to fight with twin daggers with small bore firearms build into the hilts. It had been hard to make out for certain but she was confident that she also observed two rings set just below the crossguards for the purposes of performing fast spinning manoeuvres with the weapons so as to utilise both the ballistic and bladed sides. It was a versatile setup and one which she had yet to come up against. Fighting in the Mistral tournament, the fighters had all utilised variations of the traditional weapons as opposed to creating hybrids.

Dashing out from behind her ice formations, Pyrrha made a short sprint to another so as to prevent her opponent from out-maneuvering her. 'To stay too still for too long was death' as her coach had always told her in training. To begin with, she spent the beginning of the match relocating from cover to cover and trying to work out the weaknesses to her opponent's weaponry. It was always better to fight with the mind and then the fist. Unfortunately Arakido seemed to have himself more or less covered. The daggers were most effective at close range of course, so getting behind his guard was most likely a foolish venture, besides, if she brought herself out into the open he would be able to snap shoot at her while she closed the distance. Whilst Akoúo̱ was a good and solid shield, it was not impervious to damage and would over time, she had little doubt that in charging him, he would be able to shoot it to pieces and by extension her.

So the direct approach wouldn't work, yet neither would the stealthy approach. The huge screens around the stadium were, unfortunately, offering a live feed of the entire fight and as such it was entirely possible for her opponent Arakido to track her every move with them. She had assumed that he was the calm and calculated type after looking into his red eye. It contained a great deal of malice and hatred, yet also fear. It seemed that he feared her, most likely due to her track record. The announcer had said that he was a newcomer after all.

Pyrrha groaned in frustration, unsure of how to proceed with the battle. Aside from a few brief and one-sided exchanges on gunfire in favour of her opponent, she had succeeded in maintaining her distance from him. Flicking her eyes up to the screen, she saw him making a headlong dash for her own position. Leaping out, she raised her shield just in time to catch another two rounds from his daggers. They buzzed through the air like angered wasps and buried themselves in the cold metal of her shield, jarring her entire arm and numbing it somewhat. In her free hand, she mecha-shifter Miló into its javelin form and lunged forward in a sharp jab. In the split second that she launched it, she could see Arakido's eyes grow wide as he realised the mistake he had made. The tip of Miló connected solidly with the centre of his chest with a dull thud and launched him backwards. The crowd cheered for the first blow being struck. If it hadn't been for his aura, the spear would have pierced his flesh and quite possibly have torn its way straight through his chest.

Arakido quickly recover and lunged again, a little slower this time so as to allow himself time to manoeuvre out of the way. His one visible red eye seemed to glow ominously as he approached. Sensing the change in his approach, Pyrrha once again raised her shield. Her intense viridian eyes peered over its rim as she watched him approach. Once again the air filled with clicks and whirs as her weapon shifted into its xiphos form, a much more suitable weapon for close quarters fighting than either the javelin or rifle.

He launched a fierce flurry the moment he was close enough, adopting an acrobatic combat style as he darted from side to side in an effort to force her back. To an extent he was successful as Pyrrha took several steps backwards before noticing a pattern in his attacks. In accordance, she waited for her moment and when the time was right she swung her shield out in a bashing attack. Just as expected he slammed straight into it with a loud clang. The audience gave an empathetic gasp as he rag dolled back and slid along the ice a ways.

Pyrrha wasn't ready to concede the offensive however and darted forwards, her feet struggling at first to gain purchase on the slippy surface of the ice. The moment she began to move, Miló once again began to shift, switching back into its javelin form. Grasping at the shaft of her weapon with both hands, she brought it around in a wide arc as though to impale her opponent. His eyes once again seemed to grow wide with fear as he rolled out of the way, not a second later her spear buried itself where his chest had been. Following the offensive, she used Miló as an anchor to pivot her body around, thin powder kicking up from the ice as she went. Using her momentum she wrenched Miló from its place in the ice and brought the base of its haft around to collide with the side of Arakido's head with a loud crack. Once more the audience groaned empathetically as Pyrrha dropped into a crouch behind her shield, the point of her spear resting just against the rim as she took pause to regain her breath. This was all too easy... It hardly seemed as though her opponent were fighting with even a fraction of his potential especially given that he was a third year student. Having seen how team CFVY had fought, she had expected something of a similar intensity to keep her on her toes.

Looking up at one of the screens, she read that her aura was roughly half depleted while that of her opponent was hovering dangerously in the red. It was honestly surprising that they had lost so much aura after what had felt like relatively insignificant blows. Yet when she looked again, she realised that her aura was draining steadily and that she couldn't feel the chill from the ice surrounding them. Their auras were burning constantly to protect them from the cold, since she had yet to be knocked to the ground and he had spent a fair amount of time in full contact with it, it made sense that his aura would be lower. She watched him suspiciously as he climbed slowly to his feet a short way away, panting for breath. Perhaps the fight would resolve itself is she went on the defensive?

The champion wasn't really given much of a choice, Arakido was on his feet in a flash and upon her before she could fully react. It was only by sheer luck that she was able to contort herself around his strike to avoid taking a heavy hit. She frantically moved backwards to avoid being hit full force by his relentless onslaught. Locking eyes with him she tried to gauge his attitude and read his movements. Every few seconds she would catch his eyes flit up to the huge aura readout screen and then back to her. So that was it, he was trying to force an end to the fight through attrition? That was fine by her. Whilst he was certainly faster than she had expected, she had mostly recovered from his sudden attack and was forming a solid defense.

Her foe seemed to realise this, in his eyes she could see his desperation growing. It was then that he did something which she couldn't have anticipated. Cocking his arms back he launched his weapons at her, effectively disarming himself as she deflected them calmly off of her shield. She looked at his with a cautious expression as she slowly advanced, not dropping her guard for an instant. Yet even as she did he began to glow, his aura flaring up around him. His face was plastered with a psychotic smile. To her surprise he only glowed brighter and brighter, and she could feel heat coming from his direction. Whatever he was doing it sent bad vibes right through her.

Keeping her shield raised, Pyrrha began to back away. In front of her Arakido was glowing too brightly to look directly at. Up in the stands, Jaune's heart filled with dread. That guy seemed to be emitting pure energy, way more than he should have been able to judging from the read outs, this was bad. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. Down in the stadium, Pyrrha felt her heart begin to beat wildly as fear crept into her. Just what was this guy doing? She had never encountered anything like it before. Around him even the icy formations seemed to shimmer and much to her surprise they began to melt. He turned to look at her, his eye glowing with malevolence. He seemed to be laughing as though it were all some big joke that only he could understand the punch line to.

Blast shields were raised in front of the crowds, entirely shutting the two fighters off from the outside world. Just why were they raising the shields? What was this boy about to do that had everyone so scared? Jaune began to panic as all eyes turned to the giant screens to watch the live feed of what was happening. As Jaune's blue eyes met with the screens, Arakido through his arms out, Pyrrha dropped down and ducked behind her shield. The whole stadium shook as there was a blinding flash and a barely muffled explosion from behind the blast shields. The live feed went totally black only to be replaced with static. Jaune's heart skipped a beat as the feed was restored once again even as the crowd around him cried out in anguish. The entirety of the fighting pit itself was destroyed having been converted into a giant crater. There was no major debris as all of it had been melted or disintegrated in the blast. In the centre of this new crater stood Arakido, he was sagging as he stood, looking like he might fall at any moment. Yet there was no sign of Pyrrha at all. As the dust began to settle once again, eyes scanned all around the stadium for any sign of her, the red headed champion and hero to the people. Dismay turned to sorrow, then into anguish and eventually blind rage. The audience began chanting in a frenzy at Arakido, naming him 'murderer' and 'monster' yet to Jaune that wasn't even close to covering it. He had lost his partner and best friend. Just what would he do now? How could his team move on, how could they recover from such a major and traumatic loss? It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. To Jaune it felt as though there were a warping in his world.

Over and over Jaune replayed the last few seconds before Arakido's attack in his head. He remembered the fear in her eyes as she ducked down behind her shield in a Vain attempt to save herself. Yet seemingly to no avail. How could a person survive an explosion so intense that it melted rock in a mere instant? Just what kind of technique was it that Arakido had employed? What was it that had finally finished off the great Pyrrha Nikos? Quite without realising, the blonde found himself joining in the chants with the rest of the crowds. He too was baying for the boy's blood, the one who had taken his partner away. His intense blue eyes bore into the figure on the screens with equal measure of both malice and hatred before a dust cloud hid him from view again. These were qualities that Jaune had never experienced to such a degree as he did now.

"Ladies and gentlemen please... take your seats" The announcer's voice rang out again, taking many of the enraged audience entirely by surprise. Thankfully they all complied, seating themselves again. "It gives me no great pleasure to inform you that it would seem that Miss Pyrrha Nikos has been killed. Thus, by the rules and regulations of this, the Vytal tournament, Arakido is hereby disqualified from the contest for knowingly and willingly using deadly force. Furthermore he is recognised as having used a move classed as disallowed. Im sure I don't need to impress upon you the magnitude of what we have all just witnessed. Today is a great loss to the sporting world and out condolences are with the family and friends of Pyrrha Nikos. As a mark of respect to one of the greatest young athletes of this age, please bow your heads."

Jaune was about to comply when he caught a flash of movement on the screen. The Dust was clearing, granting them all their first clear view of the damage to the stadium. As more and more eyes flitted to the screen, a collective gasp of surprise rippled through the crowds. There, not far from the epicentre of the crater was Pyrrha! She was curled up into a tight ball behind her shield which still glowed orange with heat. The Champion's aura flickered weakly around her as she slowly stood again. A quick slash with Miló severed the straps holding it to her arm, leaving it to fall to the ground helplessly at her side. Arakido's eyes grew wide with horror, as step by painstaking step Pyrrha approached him. Each pace that she took was slow, unsteady and unsure as though she were remembering how to walk after years of being unable to. Her footfalls were the only sound echoing around the stadium as she approached. Her eyes held a hostility that Jaune had never before seen and it chilled him to his very core.

Walking towards her opponent, Pyrrha mecha-shifted her weapon to its javelin form, adopting a two handed grip. It was then that Jaune saw the horrific burns to her shield arm. The skin was withered and blistered, oozing clear liquid as her body fought pointlessly to try and heal with the little aura she had left. She stopped in front of Arakido and with barely more warning than a flash in her eyes, she lashed out with the butt end of the haft of her beloved weapon and struck the third year solidly in the side of the head, sending him sprawling, unconscious. The crowd cheered as she glared down at his twitching, unconscious body.

"Ladies and gentlemen! In a shocking turn of events Pyrrha Nikos has returned, seemingly from beyond the grave and knocked her opponent unconscious. Her winning streak remains unbroken and she is our winner!" The announcer yelled out, joy and incredulity in his voice as Pyrrha slowly stalked her way back into the tunnels leaving Arakido to be collected and dealt with appropriately by the authorities. Sh collected her shield along the way, seemingly uncaring towards the heat of the metal currently giving her first degree burns to her hands. Jaune bolted up in pure joy and left the stands as fast as he could heading down to the changing rooms. He briefly flashed his ID to prove his connection to the champion but didn't stop running. He ran down corridors until he burst into the changing rooms. He spotted her brilliant red hair and in a flash he had crossed the distance to her and flung his arms around her in a tight hug, afraid to let go lest he lose her again. Tears of joy formed in his eyes and rolled freely down his cheek, dripping onto her leg but she didn't care as she hugged back. Jaune's aura flowed over into her and began to patch her up as she sighed in relief as the shrieks of pain from her wounds was silenced. She could feel her leader's relief and concern flowing through his aura as it healed her. Jaune looked at her shield with a smile as it sat against the wall, wisps of smoke and heat haze still rising off of it. He felt overcome with gratitude towards this shield. She had survived by a miracle and she had won.

* * *

**There it was and thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed it and if you did then let me know in the reviews, I really do read them all. Favourite and follow, you won't regret it as we move into the meat and gravy of the plot. Get ready for that.**

**Disclaimer: My writing software recently took a dive so I have no idea how riddled this is with missed apostrophes etc. I hope its okay and Next chapter will be all good again as I plan to fix the issue soon.**


	24. New Opponents

**Hello again everyone! Hope that you are all doing well. I am proud to present to you this week's chapter. No real foreword this time, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

It had been a long while before Jaune and Pyrrha left the stadium, this was due to a couple of reasons, primarily it was due to the unusual length of time which it took for Jaune's aura to patch up the various injuries which his partner had sustained during the course of her bout with Arakido. She had explained in some detail how this was normal however, and that she had suffered first degree aura burns, an injury cause by an aura based attack. The hit leaves a residual amount of aura behind which, if manipulated properly, slows down the healing rate to allow for an advantage in battle. It was usually a last ditch technique used when a fighter knows they are outclassed and as such is considered an illegal move in most professional tournaments.

Once her wounds were healed to Jaune's satisfaction, and despite the numerous protests of his partner, the blonde knight took pause to admire his aura's handiwork. It never failed to amaze him when he saw the things that this mystical energy could do. Her skin was just as fair and flawless as it had ever been, with no signs of scarring or that the wound had ever even existed. Pyrrha pulled her arm away gently making Jaune blush a little and wonder just how long it was that he had been sat there staring at it for. She twisted and flexed it, watching the way that the muscles flowed to make sure that they had indeed knitted back together as well as they had been. Content that everything was in order she gave him a warm smile, a blush creeping across her features. At a speed which rivalled even Ruby, she darted forward, pressed a kiss to his cheek and bolted from the locker room and towards the showers.

The blonde sat in shocked silence for a little while, a wide smile on his face before he stood and gathered himself. He stepped outside the locker room so as to give his partner a little privacy. In truth he had seen her in her underwear numerous times over the past months since their team had been assigned, yet it never failed to bring a blush to his cheeks or a feeling that he wasn't supposed to be there. So when he could, he would find a way to take his leave and return once his teammates were all fully dressed. This was an aspect of his personality that even Weiss seemed to approve of.

He wasn't waiting all that long before Pyrrha stepped out of the locker room to find him. She was dressed in much more casual attire than her armour, wearing a loose fit pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the word 'shine' written across the front. Hr vibrant hair was up in its usual ponytail and she was looking as radiant as ever. All signs of grime and desperation from her recent bout had been washed away. As he looked at her, Jaune could feel his knees weaken and begin to tremble. Familiar warmth spread across his face as once more his features adopted a red tinge.

"Jaune" She began with a slight giggle "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to leave the room whenever I'm changing. Weiss and Ruby might mind but I don't, we're partners, there shouldn't be any discomfort around one another."

To Jaune that seemed to be a well-reasoned argument and at first he wasn't entirely sure on how to respond. She did have a point in that they were partners and that meant that they had to be as synchronised as was physically possible, each of them had to know that they could count on the other no matter what situation they were in. It was a part of his troubles in deciding just who his affections lay with. Yet despite all this he didn't want to appear perverse or as though he was invading her privacy.

"I know Pyrrha; I just want to respect your privacy. We can still be a great team without me being around when you change. I just don't want you to think that I'm some kind of creep y'know?" He explained, a little nervous with how she might respond.

"Oh Jaune…" She sighed with a smile, shaking her head "You do say some of the sweetest things. Honestly I think that girls could practically throw themselves at you and you would either be completely oblivious to them or would be too worried about hurting them to try and win their hearts."

Once more her words gave him pause for thought. As the two of them began the walk to the air terminal he retreated within himself to consider what she had said. Was it true? Was he really so oblivious or afraid of hurting someone to try his luck? It was certainly accurate in regards to his current predicament. Everything he did, he had considered the various repercussions that those actions would have in regards to both Ruby _and_ Pyrrha. Knowing that he had hurt someone was, to him, the worst feeling in the world. It left him feeling guilty and ashamed above all.

"I guess you're right…" He said after a while, causing a look of concern to spread across his partner's face. "I just don't want to hurt anyone, I know what that feels like and it is just the worst thing. I don't want anyone else to feel that. It wouldn't be right."

"But Jaune, it's not a bad thing. It's a good thing that you're so considerate and there are a great many girls out there looking for someone just like you. But what I'm saying is that you shouldn't let that fear get in the way of something good. Sometimes we need to take a few risks to find the very best things that life has to offer. I took a risk when I started fighting in the tournaments, and it paid off. Even though my Papa was against it I still tried and now look where I am. I'm studying at the best school in the world with the best friends I could ever hope for. Those tournaments got me to where I am today; they honed my skills and helped me reach a level that I could only have dreamed of, you see?"

"I see what you're saying Pyrrha and I'll try to be a little braver, it might just take me a while." He replied. And it was true; so far he had been incredibly cautious in his approach to the two girls. Perhaps Pyrrha was right. Maybe it was time that he became a little more outgoing in his relations with the two of them. Maybe that was the best way to determine just who it was that really held his heart and bring about a swift end to his confusion. He had enough confidence in his teammates that they would all still be able to work together no matter what happened. After all, they were his best friends and they could get over any obstacle.

"All I'm suggesting is that you try, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought that it might help you out in the long run."

He offered her a smile and a nod as the two of them walked back through Vale. The banners and flags were still hung out, flapping slightly in the breeze. The streets were nigh on empty as they walked and devoid of the noises that earlier had been all too prevalent. The street vending stands were shut up, the salesmen long since having gone home for the night though their wares were left littering the street for the night-crew to clear up ready for the next day. Jaune couldn't help but wonder just how much money that had made from the throng of tourists in the city. Given the sheer number of little flags which had been cast away in the street it must have been an astronomical amount.

Before long both Pyrrha and Jaune had arrived at the air station and boarded their flights. Thankfully the services ran throughout the night or the two students would have been stranded in the city. Settling into their booth, Jaune sat beside his partner with a sigh and relaxed into his seat. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head in a wide arc before bringing one down to rest across her shoulders. Pyrrha laughed as her cheeks turned a light pink.

"That was so cheesy" she teased playfully and cuddled closer into her side, resting her head on his chest with a contented sigh. A gentle smile crossed her features as she closed her viridian eyes. Before long she had drifted off to sleep against him. Quite without realising what it was that he was doing, his hands made their way to her ponytail and began to play idly with her fine red hair. It relaxed him, and though he didn't know it, it also relaxed her. The therapeutic feeling of his fingers rhythmically passing through her hair put her mind at ease; it was a constant reminder of his presence.

The flight was, for the most, part uneventful. With Pyrrha being asleep Jaune had nothing to do but caress her hair and wait for the flight to end. His stomach growled threateningly a few times but for the most part it left him alone, a fact he was grateful for. He couldn't imagine what he would have done had he had a motion-sickness attack whilst the champion were asleep on him. He shuddered at the thought. It was like something out of his worst nightmares. Pushing the thoughts from his mind he focussed once more on the here and now, primarily what to do about his partner whom was still contentedly asleep on his chest.

It reminded him of his date with Ruby somewhat, he could of course carry her back in without waking her. That would certainly be the most romantic option. The only disadvantage that he could see would be how Ruby would react. He had already elected to go and watch Pyrrha fight instead of the little rose, so turning up at their dorm late at night and carrying a Pyrrha who was soundly asleep and cuddling him might not go down so well. Still, what choice did he have? She had had the busiest of days and was completely worn out. Hardly surprising really given the way that the fight had gone. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to carry her back after all. By now surely Weiss and Ruby would have heard about the way that her fight had gone. It _had_ put the stadium more or less out of action for the immediate future.

Remembering Pyrrha's words from earlier he chuckled and grasped at her bag, he slung the main strap around his neck and slowly worked his arms around her to a point where he could lift her safely with little risk of dropping her. With extreme care he lifted her and stood to his feet. Suddenly missing the support and comfort of the seat she had previously been sat on, Pyrrha pulled Jaune closer still and buried her face into his chest. When he stepped him out into the night again, the evening chill hit him and stole his breath. Regardless, the blonde steeled himself and made his way across the campus to the residential block. Opening the door he stepped in out of the cold with a shiver. Moving on through the hallways he met very few people, hardly surprising after all, at this sort of time it was only the night-owl students who were still up and about. Even then they mostly stayed in their rooms watching movies in a crudely constructed pillow fort.

Reaching the door to their dorm, he struggled briefly with the lock. Hearing it click, he tentatively pushed open the door. To his surprise he wasn't met with an utterly dark room as he may have expected, instead the light was on and both Weiss and Ruby were there waiting for them. Jaune could only watch on as Ruby's bright silver eyes scanned over both he and his partner. Deep within them, the blonde could have sworn that he saw a flash of sadness before Ruby buried it once again deep within himself. The blonde would have felt bad if he had time, as it was Weiss had bolted to her feet and dashed over to him in what seemed an instant.

"We heard the explosion from the stadium, is she alright?" Weiss asked in a hurried voice. From her tone and the look on her usually steely face, Jaune could tell that the heiress was greatly concerned about the champion. A slight motion of his her leader's head was enough to somewhat alleviate her worries. He smiled to her before laying Pyrrha down on her bed. She seemed less than happy about being parted from her blonde knight but soon pulled the duvet up and around herself. As she did, her smile returned.

"It's alright Weiss, don't worry she is just fine. Really tired but fine. That explosion you heard was something else entirely let me tell you, it was unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of." He said softly, turning to his teammate.

"Well what was it? Was it the White Fang?" She asked, pressing him for details.

"No, it was Pyrrha's opponent. He wasn't doing very well in the fight. I mean you've seen Pyrrha in battle. She was up against some third year and at first it seemed that they were pretty evenly matched. Pyrrha started to get the upper hand because she could engage him at a variety of ranges. But… well he realised he was losing and went berserk. He was hacking and slashing at her with his knives like a madman and she started losing aura. When she recovered and counter attacked he snapped. He started to glow and everything went all hazy around him. The blast shields started coming down and the crowd was in panic. Then he just kinda… exploded."

"He exploded?" Ruby asked slowly, a look of confusion on her face. Even Weiss seemed a little unsure of the story.

"Yeah, he concentrated his aura into his body and then kinda forced it out in a huge explosion. Everyone thought Pyrrha was done for cause there was no sign of her and the guy was grinning like a lunatic but then Pyrrha came out of this dust cloud and gave him a real kicking! It was so awesome! She was all burned and stuff and she walked right up to him locking eyes with him as if to say 'this isn't over yet' and outta nowhere she hit him in the side of the head and knocked him out cold!" As Jaune recounted everything that had happened his voice grew in volume as the excitement of the day's events kicked back in again. By the time he finished, he had furnished his story with elaborate hand gestures which to him somehow made the tale easier to understand but to Weiss and Ruby made no sense.

"I've never heard of a technique like that before. Did they say what it was called?" Weiss asked after having pondered the story for a moment.

"No, the officials only said that it was classed as an illegal move because it was the attempted use of deadly force." He explained "I just kinda thought that 'big bang attack' or 'final flash' were good names." At this both Weiss and Ruby rolled their eyes. "How did Ruby's fight go today though?"

"It was less exciting really, pretty straight forward fight. I-I won though!" Ruby explained with a slightly disappointed expression.

"Oh she's just being modest. It was an incredible fight. She was up against another of the first years, someone that I'd never encountered before. He was very skilled and for a long time I wasn't sure who would win. But Ruby wore him down with short and sharp his and Run attacks. Before long she had exhausted his aura and the official called the match. It was interesting to see the dolt fighting with her head for once~" The heiress teased, behind her Ruby folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at her partner. A blush spread across her cheeks as Jaune laughed but thankfully it was late and the blonde was too tired to see it.

The three of them chatted amicably for a short while before Weiss pointed out that it was still very late and they all had classes the following day. After that the trio disbanded. Weiss and Ruby climbed into their respective beds while Jaune made his way through to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and soon returned. Pausing by the light switch he looked over his three teammates with a wide smile, glad that things worked out the way they did.

"Turn out the light you dolt!" Weiss growled from her bed. The blonde chuckled and switched out the light. He crawled into his bed and was grateful for the comfort it provided. After that it wasn't long before his breathing slowed right down and he drifted into the world of his dreams.

Jaune's alarm beeped to life the following morning. With a groan he reached out and felt around on his nightstand for it. Still being half-asleep it took him some time to find it and even longer to actually switch the alarm off. Around the room his teammates all growled, groaned and shouted at him to turn it off faster. Even Pyrrha joined in on the cacophony of angry voices which caught Jaune off guard. There was a collective sigh of relief as the blonde finally managed to shut off his alarm and silence settled on the room again. It was hard for the four teenagers to believe that it was time for them to be getting up. To them it seemed as though they had only been asleep for five minutes at most. It would take them another ten minutes before any of them were even remotely ready to crawl out of their beds.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Ruby groaned in a sleepy voice from across the room.

"The alarm was set for eight." Jaune replied. Classes weren't due to start until half past nine, so they usually had plenty of time to get ready before they actually needed to be there. That morning was set to kick off with a double lesson with Professor Goodwitch. Rumour held that she was due to give a recap of all the matches from the day previous for both the students who had been fighting and those who had been unable to make it to the stadium due to tickets being sold out. That would have been Jaune if Pyrrha hadn't been able to pick up a free ticket for him. Being the champion seemingly had its perks.

"So who is going for first shower then?" Weiss asked, her mind already making plans for their day. It was always the first question that she asked in the mornings and Jaune didn't blame her. Living with three women had its rough patches, primarily was the fight over who got into the shower first. Ordinarily Jaune would sit back and let them fight it out, going last in line out of a wish to stay alive. Once, out of interest he had snuck into the bathroom first and to him it seemed as though all hell itself had broken loose. They were pounding on the door so hard that the blonde was near certain that it would pop clean off of its hinges and squash him flat. In the end he had been too scared to actually have a full shower and had settled for a quick wash out of the sink. That was the last time he had ever tried to get an early slot in the bathroom.

"Dibs." That was the first distinguishable word he had heard from Pyrrha that morning. The others groaned realising that they had been beaten. Neither Weiss nor Ruby had the bravery to dare and refute the international dibs protocol. With a wide grin on her face Pyrrha climbed out of bed and made her way off to the bathroom. She was still dressed in her clothes from the night before and if Jaune was going to be honest about it, she still looked really good in them. You would never have though that she had slept in those clothes.

Jaune misjudged. That morning in particular the three girls took far longer than usual in getting ready, so much so that as he came out of the bathroom he was halfway through pulling on his pants. His team made no real effort to help out their leader. Admittedly even if he had wanted to it wouldn't have been easy given how hard the three of them were laughing. Jaune continued to try and dress himself as best and as quickly as he could, his blood rushed to his cheeks in embarrassment.

As it was, they ended up being a couple of minutes late to Goodwitch's lecture despite Weiss' constant urging for them to move faster. They burst through the door into the lecture hall fully expecting a stern talking to or even to be immediately called into a demonstration. What they weren't expecting was for Goodwitch to look at them with a smile.

"Ah team JSPR, would you mind taking your seats. We were just about to begin watching th highlight reels from yesterday's matches."

Every one of them shuffled in utter silence towards their seats, not daring to make even the slightest utterance which might risk upsetting their professor. They didn't know what had happened or why but Goodwitch was in a strangely good mood and if she was willing to let them off of their tardiness then they were certainly not going to risk trouble where it could be avoided.

The lesson went by without further incident. In fact, it was a lot more lax than usual in terms of discipline. They were allowed to speak with one another to discuss the various highlight reels and offer opinions on the matches that they watched. As Jaune may have expected, Ruby's highlight reel played and as he watched the nature in which Ruby fought he felt a sense of pride at being her team leader. Turning to face her he caught her eye and gave her an appreciative nod. Goodwitch herself had glowing praise to say for the video itself, aside from a brief comment about overuse of her semblance, which Ruby acknowledged, there were no real negatives which the professor picked out.

Even Goodwitch herself seemed to enjoy reviewing the footage. She had a distant expression as though the videos reminded her of times long gone and similar tournaments in her youth. Often she would offer critical analysis of particular turning points in the various fights, explaining the best way to handle each situation along with alternatives should the variables change. To Jaune it was all fascinating, it was certainly a rare occurrence that they covered combat theory in Goodwitch's classes but those select few lessons were always Jaune's favourite. Goodwitch always spoke with a sense of pride and passion, often suggesting scenarios and allowing the students to debate over what they would individually do and what was deemed the best course of action. Occasionally she would offer up an anecdote from her days as an active huntress and, unlike Port's, they were actually interesting.

Yang Grinned bright as the sun when her own highlight reel played. The rest of the class only cringed and winced as they watched her beat another first year to a pulp with ease. The poor guy had managed to land the first hit, unfortunately it had severed a few of the brawler's hairs, and from there it was of course a complete and utter bloodbath. The last they saw of her opponent, he was being carried off on a stretcher with several of his bones bound in a splint.

For the most part, their friend's reels were pretty standard. The matches were fairly even but their two teams managed a decent win/loss ratio. Out of both team JSPR and BRNY only Ruby, Pyrrha, Yang and Nora managed to win their matches. Ren was defeated by a much larger fighter whom was far faster than he had any right to be. Blake was knocked out of the championships by a small and nippy faunus with two short swords. She simply couldn't track him and so was quickly overcome. Besides those two, Weiss and Jaune had chosen not to compete. This meant that there was an even split between the competitors with every duo having at least one fighter in the championships. It was as though some god with a sense of humour had planned the whole thing before hand.

Yet there was one video which nobody uttered a word during; the video of Pyrrha's match. Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed upon the screen as first the introduction played and then the fight itself. An atmosphere of pure shock rippled through the room as Arakido pulled his big bang attack and the feed was cut out. There were gasps of fear and awe until the footage was restored and they saw Pyrrha step out of the dust and knock her opponent unconscious. The class cheered loudly at the conclusion, making Pyrrha blush and sink into her seat to try and avoid the attention.

"Let me make this perfectly clear. I do not want to so much as hear of any of you using manoeuvres like that in this tournament. If I do then you will be on the first airship back to whatever dwelling it was that you emerged from. The student you just watched has already been expelled and shall not be returning to complete his training either here or at any of the other academies. What you witnessed is an incredibly risky technique, only to be used in cases of extreme peril." The students nodded in utter silence as the professor explained the repercussions of such techniques.

Yet sadly, as with all things, her class eventually came to an end. The Professor herself seemed disappointed in the fact, her eyes losing some of their glow as she delivered her closing statements to the class.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for your diligence and input in today's class. We shall be continuing with this lesson format until the conclusion of the tournament and potentially for a short while after" The class cheered at this "Also for those of you who are due to be fighting in the next round of the tournament, you can expect a message to your scroll later this evening with details of when your next fight shall be and whom it is that you will be fighting. Best of luck to you all, I am sure that you will all do both Beacon and Vale proud."

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly, the remainder of their lessons linked into the tournament in one way or another which kept them interesting. Even Oobleck took to describing the history behind the event. That was something which Jaune found incredibly interesting given that members of his family had served in the Great War. They had fought against the oppression of creativity. In part that was how his name had come to be, he was named after colour just as a great many other students around him were. It was fascinating to him to see just how widespread the impact of the Great War had been, even several generations later.

Later that evening after a big meal to celebrate both Ruby and Pyrrha's successes, team JSPR sat in their dorm waiting anxiously for the tournament information. Both fighters had been sat holding their scrolls and staring at the screens expectantly since their team had got back. As the seconds passed into minutes there grew a clear strain on both Pyrrha and Ruby's faces. Surely the message should have come through by now? As if to answer them, both of their scrolls vibrated at the same time. The sound was so sudden that it startled the four of them. Eagerly both of the fighters opened their messages.

"I'm fighting a Penny Poledina tomorrow in the main stadium again. I don't think I know the name, it must be one of the exchange students." She said with a thoughtful expression. She seemed relieved that she wasn't due to be fighting any of their friends. Ruby however did not look so happy. She had a look which could only be described as one of pure horror.

"Ruby, what's wrong? You like white as a sheet." Weiss said softly, reaching out to place a hand on her partner's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"I-I'm fighting… I'm fighting…" She stammered, it seemed as though the sentence was impossible for her to say. Every ounce of colour had drained from her face to be replaced with fear.

"Well? Who is it you're fighting? It can't be that bad surely…" Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes. Yet it was exactly that. With a trembling hand, Ruby held out her phone for them all to read the message. As each of them read the words on the screen it was easy for them to understand just why she was scared. It was an unfair match to have straight away as soon as the tournament began in earnest. Every one of them subconsciously reached down and placed a hand on their legs. For the name written on the screen was that of the one and only Nora Valkyrie.

"Why her?! Nora's crazy! She'll squish me for sure!" The little rose cried in anguish. "I thought we were meant to be fighting the foreign students!"

"That was the likelihood, but they draw straws so it was never guaranteed." Weiss explained "There was always a possibility that you would be fighting one of our friends. Still, at least it wasn't Yang right?" But Ruby didn't see it that way. She only saw Nora's hammer swinging wildly in her direction. All her life the little rose had loved the thrill of battle, but this was one that she was in no way looking forward to.

* * *

**Ruby versus Nora! Who is looking forward to that? I sure as hell am! Well... kinda. I can't believe that this story has gone on for this long. Honestly I expected it to be much more short lived and yet here it is, still going strong and having dwarfed 'The Sword and Spear' in word count. Thank you all for your continued support. I have now plotted the ending to this tale, properly and everything. I know where Im going to take it and how Im going to resolve that all important love triangle fluster cluck that I have created. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did then please do favourite and follow.**

**All of your reviews truly do help shape the tale so keep those coming in. I love reading all of your comments and criticisms.**

**As always I have been TheFlagshipArkos and I'll see you all in the next chapter!**


	25. A Penny for your Thoughts?

**Hey everyone! New chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Morning dawned the following day with brilliant sunshine. Seemingly the ones in charge of organising the tournament had chosen the very best days for the events. Not that it mattered of course; the spectators would still have likely turned out in their thousands to watch the matches. It was after all, not an event to miss. But in JSPR's dorm, the four students greeted the day with mixed reactions as Jaune once again fought to turn off the alarm on his scroll. Every day was the same, the blonde would fight with his phone while the three girls groaned in frustration and awaited the return of silence to the room so that they might doze a little while longer.

Yet today was not like all those other days. Something was off. As Jaune fumbled sleepily with his scroll, trying to work out through half closed eyes which button was which, the room was oddly quiet. There was still some grumbling coming from the heiress, mainly about the painful levels of ineptitude that Jaune seemed to exhibit on a daily basis and how it was a miracle that he was able to find his way out of bed in the mornings, yet from the other two girls there was nothing.

Weiss seemed to notice this absence too, as halfway through her tirade of glorious oratory abuse her voice trailed off into nothing. A quick glance over at the beds of their two teammates provided them with the explanation as to the unusually quiet nature of both Pyrrha and Ruby. Neither of the two girls was there. It was unusual for any of their team to leave early and not let the others know beforehand. Rolling out of bed, Jaune looked at the empty beds with slight confusion as though trying to piece together just where Ruby and his partner might have gone to at such an early hour. It was rare for the blonde's brain to function properly until he had had a shower and a decent breakfast.

"They probably got up early to put a little extra preparation in before their fights later today. You know Pyrrha, she likes to be prepared for anything and Ruby probably couldn't sleep. She was somewhat shaken by the news that she was going to have to fight Nora." Weiss offered with a slight sigh. It did amaze her just how much of a dolt her leader could be at times. Jaune nodded at her explanation; it really _did_ make sense.

With a sigh of exertion, he climbed to his feet and shuffled off to the bathroom with a yawn. He figured that with two of their team already up and about, Weiss would be less volatile with him taking the first slot in the shower. They did have a lot more time between the two of them so he intended to have a much longer shower than usual.

As it happened, he was sorely mistaken. He had gotten no more than two steps out of the bathroom before he was met with another tirade of incessant abuse from the heiress. He tuned out for the most part and gathering the rough gist of whatever it was that she was ranting about. In this case it seemed that she wasn't best pleased with him taking the first shower slot, claiming that she would now have to rush in order to make herself presentable on time. Jaune sighed softly to himself; this reminded him all too much of how it had been growing up with his six sisters. Idly, his brain wandered as she shouted and complained at him. With a slight smirk he decided that Weiss would likely get on with his sisters… either that or she would begin an all-out war in which no-one in Remnant would be safe.

After a further hour and a substantial headache on Jaune's part, the two remaining members of team JSPR finally made it down to the school's cafeteria. Their stomachs growled loudly, mimicking a pack of Ursai in both volume and tone. To Jaune's slight relief, they found both Pyrrha and Ruby sat at their usual table, half empty plates in front of them. As the champion caught sight of her two teammates, she waved emphatically, beckoning them over. Ruby on the other hand, was seemingly lacking in the excited nature which Pyrrha seemed so full of. It was clear that, both from her silvery eyes and the look on her face; the upcoming fight with Nora was weighing heavily on her mind. Where usually there was a bright and jovial smile, Ruby's face was weighed down by a serious expression which seemed wholly out of place and character.

Once they had retrieved their own food, both Weiss a Jaune took their usual seats alongside the others. Conversation was however, very limited. Pyrrha was amicable enough, practically unable to sit still in her anticipation for the fight later. This was the first time that Jaune had ever seen her so excited about anything. It was clear that her love for battle was coursing through her.

"I wonder what weapon she uses. What if she doesn't use a weapon? Oh this is so exciting!" She chirped happily. Across from her, Ruby's eyes sank as she stared at her plate. Jaune watched the little rose as she idly pushed a piece of hash brown in laps around her plate. He couldn't help but worry for her.

"Ruby you should eat something; you'll need all your energy for the match today." He said with a smile, though she didn't even look up at him.

"Not hungry…" She mumbled in reply after a long and awkward pause. With a sigh, Jaune nodded and resumed eating. Other than the occasional excited outburst from Pyrrha, their team ate in near silence; the scraping of cutlery upon their plates was the only real noise. Every now and again, Jaune would look up and over to Ruby to see if there had been any change in her melancholic disposition. More than once, he had caught Weiss watching over the little rose too. Seemingly she was similarly concerned.

It wasn't too long after that the four teenagers had left the academy campus and were on their way into Vale, bound for the central stadium. As Weiss and Jaune made their way into the area reserved for Beacon students, Jaune looked into the arena itself. There was no sign of the catastrophic levels of damage which Arakido had caused with his final flash attack, everything had been returned to perfect condition. It was amazing just what could be achieved with the right budget.

Taking their seats, the JS of JSPR waited for the matches to begin. The programme that Weiss had picked up showed that Ruby would be one of the first matches. In a way, Jaune knew that Ruby would be grateful for the fact as it meant that she wouldn't have to wait long. Getting it over and done with, that was the way it should be.

The first few fights were relatively uneventful. Unlike for the qualifiers, the arena remained fixed in a neutral position so as to avoid giving the advantage to any fighters. The battles were for the most part short and intense affairs with a great many hard hits and brutal counter-attacks. The spectators seemed wholly involved in the matches, gasping and oohing whenever something happened. The support was even, cheering for the losers and applauding their efforts. It was a warm atmosphere for all who were involved. Finally however, the moment arrived. As Jaune and Weiss watched on, both Nora and Ruby emerged from their respective tunnels. Their weapons holstered across their backs. Looking to the screens, Jaune could see the look of fear in Ruby's eyes. Across the arena, Nora had an ear to ear grin plastered across her face. She would be going all out, all safety precautions had been set to the 'off' position.

The announcer's voice boomed forth once again as he introduced the two fighters and gave a brief summary of their qualifying matches. Jaune shivered, a sense of dread washing over him as he heard how Nora had shattered the legs of her last opponent. The same expression was mirrored on Ruby's face. Jaune gave a forlorn look to the heiress and was surprised to find her looking back at him and returning it.

"T-the last fighter was probably too slow. M-maybe that's how it happened? Ruby is really quick though. I-I don't think Nora will have the chance." She stammered with genuine fear in her words. Jaune nodded slightly, not trusting his own voice. That had to be it right? The other fighter was just too slow to avoid Nora's attack.

'_Ruby will be just fine; she is the fastest in the whole school! She won't let Nora get the chance to land a hit on her.'_ It was these words which Jaune told himself over and over, forcing himself to believe them and take them as gospel. Ruby had gotten into Beacon two whole years early! That had to count for something.

Before he got the chance to think on the little rose's chances however, the countdown to the start of the match began. The blonde leader's eyes nervously watched the numbers on the screens tick down to zero. The moment the klaxon sounded the crowd roared in excitement as the air filled with the clash of steel. In that instant, Ruby had shot across to Nora in a cloud of petals. She had moved so fast that it was entire seconds before the petals even touched the ground. In truth, Jaune was amazed that Nora had managed to draw her weapon so quickly, let alone block the attack.

Down in the arena, Ruby disengaged with a growl of frustration. Her silvery eyes narrowed in on the Valkyrie with determination burning deep within them. She would not lose, not with Jaune and the rest of Vale watching. Spinning away, she quickly considered her next move. The speed and sudden aggression seemed to have put Nora on the back foot, and that gave Ruby the upper hand. Refusing to lose that initiative, Ruby activated her semblance again and shot forward aiming a slash which would have cleaved Nora from shoulder to hip if it hadn't been for aura.

Yet once again there came the harsh sound of metal on metal as Nora blocked again. The curved blade of Crescent Rose gleamed maliciously as it locked against Magnhild, both of the fighters struggling for dominance. The struggle was predominantly one sided, with Nora possessing a far greater physical strength. Realising that she was at a substantial disadvantage, Ruby pulled the trigger on her scythe. The arena echoes with a deafening report as one of her gigantic custom rounds spat from the barrel of her weapon. That was something Nora had certainly not been prepared for. The round hit her square in the centre of her chest and launched her backwards. At the same time, Ruby utilised the recoil of her monstrous firearm to put distance between herself and her opponent. Dropping into her 'guard' stance, she waited for Nora to get back up. Her eyes watching for even the slightest twitch from the Valkyrie.

Nora herself lay on her back, fighting to draw in the air which her body required to survive. Her aura had flared up and stopped the round from blowing a sizable hole through her torso, yet what it hadn't done was negated the force. It had struck her at full power, knocking any and all air out of her lungs. Even now, she drew in ragged gasps as she recovered from the blow. With a grin and a few coughs, she climbed to her feet. Grabbing Magnhild from where it had fallen at her feet, she flicked the switch on its haft. A series of mechanical clicks and whirs came from the weapon as it folded itself up into its second form, that of her grenade launcher. It was only fair after all. Ruby had decided to use her gun so Nora would start using her boom stick.

Ruby watched on with a subtle smile. This would work to her advantage, provided that she didn't get caught in any of the concussion waves. Reaching into herself, Ruby tapped into her aura reserves and, through them, her semblance. She watched on as Nora levelled the barrel of the grenade launcher to zero in on her. The moment that she saw the flash she shot off. All around her, the world seemed to grind to a halt just as it always did whenever she activated her semblance. She looked back and saw the high-explosive round whizzing towards where she had just been stood, a pink heart emblazoned across the tip along with the words 'get some'. Moments later she saw as it hit the ground in a blinding flash of light and searing heat. Once it was all burned out, she swerved towards the Valkyrie whom was looking very confused.

As she approached, Ruby drew back her scythe and swung with all of the might that she could muster at Nora's back. With a dull thud, her weapon connected and sent the bubbly redhead flying once again. Ruby put a safe distance between herself and her opponent before dropping out of her semblance induced speed and back into her guard again. Across the arena, Nora climbed to her feet once more, looking around frantically to locate the Rose. Her blue eyes soon locked onto the little reaper and narrowed maliciously. In an instant, she raised her weapon and fired again.

Jaune watched on with great interest as Ruby once again disappeared, only to strike Nora and reappear at a safe distance once again. He smiled, realising the clever nature of such a tactic. Ruby had seemingly realised that in close quarters combat, she couldn't match the Valkyrie in raw power and had instead elected to use hit and run strategies to chip away at Nora's aura reserves. The Valkyrie's long ranged attacks were just slow enough that Ruby could zip out of the way and avoid harm… or so he thought.

The third time Nora climbed to her feet, it was somewhat slower. She was wearing down and had yet to land a blow on the little rose. With a grunt she located Ruby and watched her closely. She knew by this point what the nature of the game was and frantically tried to work out just how best to counter it. It was like Ren always said; she had to fight with her head if she wanted to win. Once more, she levelled her weapon and fired. Though unlike her previous attempts, she didn't fire straight at the rose. Rather, this time she fired where she guessed that Ruby _would be_. It was a fifty-fifty chance but a risk worth taking. If she missed then hopefully Ruby would play it off as a sign of fatigue rather than a counter to her attack pattern.

Her guess paid off as Ruby seemed to disappear again, moments later her anguished cry could be heard amidst the explosion. The rose was caught in the blast and launched straight towards the Valkyrie, tumbling through the air. By now, Magnhild had already switched to its mighty hammer form once again. Nora leapt high into the air and swung with all of her considerable might. Magnhild hummed as it cut through the air and, with a sickening crunch, connected with the fragile pulled the trigger once more, at the precise moment of impact, supplementing her blow with a contact explosion. Ruby was batted at incredible speed across the arena and sent slamming into the stands. Crescent Rose slipped from her hands and clattered idly to the floor within the arena even as Ruby slammed into the stands and finally rolled limply to a halt.

The spectators around her cried out in surprise and fear, looking at the now unconscious Ruby, completely unsure what to do. Jaune and Weiss were on their feet looking at Ruby on the big screens in horror, their jaws hanging wide open. Even as they watched, paramedics appeared and rushed to the side of their downed teammate. Several tense moments of silence passed as the crowds waited for an update on Ruby's condition. To many it seemed as though she may well have been killed, regardless of aura. Down in the arena, Nora watched the screens, wide-eyed and with a guilty expression on her face. Yet unlike with Arakido, Jaune couldn't bring himself to anger against the Valkyrie. It had been an honest accident in the heat of an evenly pitched battle. Weiss however, wasn't so forgiving. She stood at Jaune's side, her pale hands balled up into tight fists with barely suppressed rage as she fought desperately to subdue her emotions and regain her composure. It was at this moment, as the heiress seethed beside him that Jaune began to comprehend the depths of her affections for the young rose.

One of the paramedics touched a finger to his ear and mouthed something which Jaune couldn't make out. Moments later, the announcer's voice boomed through the stadium once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been informed that Miss Rose is alive and in a stable condition. She has broken her arm, leg and a number of her ribs but the paramedics are certain that, with treatment, she will make a full recovery. Her aura apparently negated a fair amount of that attack and saved her life. However, as she is unable to continue the match, Nora Valkyrie is declared the victor by default."

The audience clapped respectfully as Ruby was carried away on a stretcher. Hearing the announcement that the little rose would recover, Weiss' rage seemed to abate slightly. She was still angry, but it no longer seemed that she was planning on eviscerating Nora with methodical slowness. Down in the arena, Nora seemed greatly relieved by the news. Holstering her weapon, she stepped forward and picked up crescent rose. Examining for a moment she found the switch and transferred it to its carry mode. Satisfied that she couldn't hurt herself on the weapon, she skipped happily out of the arena and off to the medical bay so as to return it.

The matches resumed shortly after, with fighter after fighter being exhausted or knocked senseless as they might have on any other day, yet today was not just another day. High up in the stands, in a dark corner where few people would bother to look, a pair of burning golden eyes watched on with ever growing interest. The more fights that passed, the more these eyes glowed.

"It won't be long now Roman. Oh to be so achingly close is practically killing me" Cinder whispered to the heavily cloaked figure next to her. The outfit looked ridiculous but he had insisted upon it, lest anyone recognise the face of Vale's most wanted criminal.

"Look at them all, revelling in their staged conflict, completely unaware of the events in progress which will so soon wreak havoc within their perfect little worlds. And after all is done, even their precious hunters shan't be enough to hold back the storm we will have created." She concluded with a malicious laugh that sent chills down Roman's spine. He had never yet seen her like this, over the time he had been working with her, never had he seen her so excited over a job. He suspected that she had taken the job because she had wanted to see it through, rather than for the huge sum of money that had been promised with it.

Looking down, he saw her toying with what appeared to be a plain, brushed chrome cigarette lighter, and for all intents and purposes it did indeed function like one. Yet what was cunningly concealed within was far more devious. It contained a detonator, though not for something as simple as an explosive charge. No, this was much, much worse. And soon enough, the rest of Vale would see its true purpose. Beside him, Cinder straightened up in her seat as the announcer's voice thundered through the stadium from the loud speakers.

"… And now ladies and gentlemen! It's time to re-introduce a fighter that you all know and love, returning after her shocking victory in the qualifiers and back with a vengeance. Four time champion from Mistral and a huntress in training from your very own Beacon Academy here in Vale, the one, the only Miss Pyrrha Nikos!"

Torchwick winced as the crowd went wild, a cacophony of shouts, cheers and thunderous applause rocking the stadium to its very foundations as tens of thousands of voices all cried out in a multitude of languages, all in appreciation of the celebrity fighter. The master criminal had to admit, that kind of appreciation and attention had its draw to him. But such fame in his line of work was more a hindrance than a help. Every bounty hunter, vigilante and fresh faced police officer in the kingdoms would be after him to prove themselves and in turn win their own fame.

"… And her opponent, a little known student looking to make a big name for herself in the tournament, she has already wowed us in the Atlas qualifiers. Ladies and gentlemen I give you…. Penny Poledina!" Roman smirked at the announcement. This was it.

Jaune looked on as the two fighters emerged into the stadium. Pyrrha was the first to come into view, walking with her usual elegance and calm demeanour. This was her world, the environment which she best belonged in, her home turf. Turning his eyes away from the champion and over to the other side of the arena, he waiting to catch his first glimpse of this Penny Poledina. Yet when she stepped out into view, Jaune's jaw dropped, as did Weiss' beside him. He had seen Penny before. They both had the day their team had gone clothes and supplies shopping before the dance all those weeks ago.

Down in the arena, Pyrrha was similarly surprised though she did her best to hide it. The champion couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness that Penny might try and exploit. The two fighters may have met before but they were enemies until the match was over.

"I hadn't expected to see you again Penny, least of all here." She smiled.

"Salutations! I recall having met you before as well, I believe it was the day that I met my best friend Ruby… Although I will admit, contact has been limited." Penny replied with a complacent smile upon her features. She tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes remaining fixed on Pyrrha. "Why would you not expect to see me here? I am combat ready!"

For some reason that she couldn't explain, Penny's final statement had sent a chill down Pyrrha's spine, upsetting her inner calm. Perhaps it was the jovial tone in which it was delivered, or maybe it was the dehumanising aspect that made her sound more like a weapon than a person… Pyrrha simply couldn't tell. If she knew one thing for certain though, it was that Penny was far more dangerous an opponent than she let on. If this fight was to end in her favour, Pyrrha knew that she would have to treat softly and fight tactically.

The klaxon sounded and the match began, yet neither of the fighters made any move of aggression. The crowd went silent as the two combatants began to circle each other. Pyrrha moved with sure steps, her knees slightly bent and her arms hanging loosely by her sides, ready to draw her arms at a moment's notice. Penny was quite the opposite; she walked with a carefree attitude, almost skipping. Her hands were clasped casually behind her back almost as though she were only out for a quiet afternoon stroll.

Once more the feeling of unease crept back into the champion as she tried to gain a feel for her opponent. Every action which Penny made sent up little warning flags in Pyrrha's mind. Just why was she so nonchalant about the fight? Was she really so confident in her abilities that she could walk so calmly, and why hadn't she drawn her weapon yet? The only reason that Pyrrha had refrained from doing so herself was to avoid engaging hostilities before she was quite prepared. But then, suddenly and with no indication of intent, Penny leapt forward and ran with thundering steps towards the champion, cocking back a fist and launching it square at her head.

Barely managing to raise her shield in time, Pyrrha caught the blow with Akoúo̱, but all was not well. The strike connected solidly with a metallic thud and pain exploded up Pyrrha's arm. She cried out in pain and disengaged, struggling to put some distance between both herself and Penny. Frantically, her mind worked to try and figure out just what had happened. One look down at her shield gave her all the information that she needed.

The once brightly burnished and smooth metal was dented in the centre from the heavy impact of Penny's punch, so much so that it had dug into her arm and, judging by the feel of it, broken her lower arm. Alarm bells went off in Pyrrha's mind as she tried to work out just how the effects of the punch had bypassed her aura entirely to shatter her arm. It would have required an ungodly amount of strength to do such damage with a single hit, and that put fear into Pyrrha's heart.

Backing away, she tugged at the straps of her shield. Once they came free, she grudgingly let it fall to the ground at her feet. As her aura was still nearly full, the officials wouldn't call the match unless Pyrrha forfeited, which she had no intention of doing. With her working arm, Pyrrha shifted Miló into its rifle form. With a whimper of pain, she locked the stock into her shoulder and supported the weight of the rifle on her broken forearm. Her aim was shaky but at such close range, it was acceptable.

She grunted as she pulled the trigger, the recoil pushing against her damaged arm. Again and again she fired, hoping to chip off at her opponent's aura until her own could begin repairs on her arm. Yet Penny seemed totally unfazed by the rounds whizzing towards her. She simply raised her hand in front of her, darting it back and forth to deflect the rounds. She wasn't even trying to avoid them! Pyrrha ceased firing, the rifle shaking in her trembling hands. This was like something out of a nightmare. Even as she watched on Penny began to approach, the same cheerful smile on her face. Raising her arms out to her sides, it seemed that twelve swords appeared out of nowhere, hovering in front of her. Pyrrha's viridian eyes grew wide with fear, openly expressed and matched only by the looks on her teammates' faces up in the stands.

"It's almost a shame to cut the event short." Cinder sighed. She flipped open the lighter, hitting a concealed switch within its lid. Immediately, her scroll vibrated and the screen lit up green with a single black queen chess piece in the centre.

One by one, every phone around her did the same, vibrating and lighting up bright green. As it happened to more and more people there were grunts of frustration and cries of anguish as one by one the spectators were locked out of their devices. But Cinder smiled, it wasn't just the stadium, or even Vale. Thanks to her work on the night of the ball, the signal was being beamed from the CCT all across Remnant, infecting every one of the kingdoms. But the plan didn't stop there, and its effects would be felt far beyond the shutdown of cellular communications devices.

Down in the arena, Pyrrha could only watch on in utter futility as Penny approached. Her opponent's eyes glowed maliciously red as she drew closer and closer. The champion paused a moment, she could have sworn that Penny's eyes had been a pale green before. A feeling in Pyrrha's stomach told her that something wasn't right here. She switched Miló into its javelin form and prepared to defend herself to the last. The look in Penny's eyes wasn't exactly friendly and something told her that the fight was about to take a turn for the worse.

"Penny…?" Pyrrha asked cautiously, her eyes narrowing again. As she said this, she became aware of the growing confusion and panic around the stadium.

"I am combat ready." She replied in a monotonous tone, devoid of her earlier joviality. Thrusting her hands out in front of her she paused. A green speck appeared in front of her hands. The speck pulsed and hummed with energy. Even as Pyrrha watched, it grew. It reached the size of a basketball before Penny threw her arms out wide, giant beams of energy shot out from her hands and straight into the audience, incinerating any and all who were caught by them. The stadium blast shields slammed down but they weren't enough. In a matter of seconds, the energy blasts had melted through, leaving thick molten steel dribbling down. Pyrrha could only look on in horror as the crazed fighter drew back her arms, summoning forth an even bigger ball of energy, her swords spinning around her seemingly of their own accord. With one final push, a huge ball of green energy shot out and struck the stadium wall. There was a huge flash of blinding light and a catastrophic explosion. It felt as though the whole world was shaking beneath her feet and for a moment it seemed that the whole world might break apart. Then came the shockwave, it hit the champion like a brick wall and sent her flying back. The bitter taste of blood was the last thing that Pyrrha knew before everything went black.

* * *

**And now we reach the biggest plot event yet. This is where the story reaches its highest point before beginning to wind down again. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I'm still tweaking the next one as I'm far from happy with it so stay tuned for that one. If you enjoyed this, please do favourite and follow. Review and let me know what you thought, I really do read all of them. Many thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	26. Awakening to a Foul Truth

**Hey everyone! you need a little time to adjust after last time? Well CHAPTER BEGINS NOW!**

* * *

The acrid smell of smoke was the first thing that Pyrrha became aware of when fist she regained consciousness. The second was the sheer amount of pain spread across her body. Her whole body ached, lances of pain shooting through her chest with every breath she took. Thinking back she tried to piece together what had happened but everything was so fuzzy. She vaguely remembered the match with Penny and something going wrong. Her arm seemed to throb angrily as a sadistic reminder of just how quickly the fight had gone so terribly wrong. Beyond that, the champion remembered with increasing horror the look on Penny's face as she vaporised the innocent spectators as well as the huge explosion shortly after. Even now, she could still hear what seemed to be faint explosions coming from outside the stadium.

Yet before she could open her eyes to find out whether it was all simply a dream or no, she heard footsteps, and felt arms wrap around her. They were firm and gentle in a way that she knew all too well. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself looking her partner right in the eyes. His deep blue eyes and strong arms felt to her so familiar and safe, as though all was right with the world. He looked at her with an expression of deep concern and underlying affection which was further still reflected in his actions as he swept her hair out of her face. She smiled weakly, seeing that he had recovered her weapons and that they were slung over his back. Grudgingly, she tore her eyes away from his and looked at the world around them. It all seemed to have gone to hell. She saw the desolation that the two of them were in the very middle of.

The stands; once filled with innocents whom were out for little more than the enjoyment of a tournament marking the end of the greatest conflict in the annals of human history on Remnant. A huge chunk seemed to have been blasted clean out, melting the stone and steel around it, the harrowing scars left by Penny's crazed onslaught. Beyond, visible through the gap, Vale was burning. Vast swathes of the city seemed to have been blown apart. All around, the place seemed devoid of life besides the wounded champion and the blonde. The once bustling and vibrant stadium had become an abandoned shell. The arena itself was blackened and filled with broken masonry, presumably damaged by Penny in her rampage.

Pyrrha looked over the ruins around them, remembering just how quickly the fight had turned, and how powerless she had been. Penny possessed strength far beyond anything that the champion had ever seen. Yet something had caused a shift in the girl, a catastrophic one which left her in a murderous state. What was it? Was it some kind of advanced state semblance? Pyrrha had been but a leaf before a hurricane, more helpless than she had been in over ten years, ever since her father had taken her under his wing to train and teach her how to fight.

"Pyrrha, Are you alright?" Jaune's voice came, pulling her out of her thoughts and back into the here and now. The blonde seemed a lot antsier than he had before. His eyes kept darting up and away from her as though he believed that they were being watched by someone or something.

"I-I think so… I don't think I can walk though. Where's Weiss? A-and Ruby?" She replied, her voice sounding a little hoarser and raspier that might have been expected, due to the smoke most likely.

"They are both just fine. Don't worry. Weiss went to go and get Ruby when everything went south with Penny. You and I are going to meet up with them and get out of here." He said brusquely and lifted his partner into a cradle carry. He dashed out of the open and into one of the tunnels. As he ran, still carrying the champion, she watched his face for any explanation as to what was going on. She got the feeling that something had gone wrong beyond what Penny had done. It was all so confusing, what could have happened to make Jaune seem so scared?

"Im sorry Pyrrha, I can't explain it all now but I promise I'll tell you once we're safe. Something's gone wrong all over Vale. W-we don't know what yet."

Pyrrha went silent once again as she retreated deep within herself, excluding all else so that she was left only with her thoughts. Taking pause, she began to organise what information that she had to try and piece together all that had happened since her fight with Penny. For the most part, her thoughts and deductions remained inconclusive and would only be truly straightened out with the inclusion of additional information once both she and her team were 'safe', whatever Jaune meant by that. Surely the security at the festival would have been able to subdue Penny, or failing that, the hunters in Vale. It was bizarre to think that Vale itself was no longer safe.

As the two of them emerged into the foyer of the stadium Jaune finally came to a halt, panting softly from the exertion. Looking around Pyrrha saw the sorry state that the foyer had been left in, presumably as the crowd ran for their lives. The ticket office's shutters had been jammed in a hasty attempt to pull them down, leaving them at an angle, uselessly locked in place. Leaflets, tickets, lost clothes and various other items lay strewn across the foyer floor, dropped and discarded by the fleeing civilians. The champion couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have been caught in the crush to escape, not the harm which may have come to those same people.

Before long, there came the sound of feet tapping against the flooring from down one of the corridors, there was a slight metallic clang to them. Without wasting a moment, Jaune set his partner down gently and drew his blade, unfolding the shield moments after. Slight fear welled up within Pyrrha as the footsteps approached. With her shield arm damaged as it was and her aura yet to make full repairs, she was fairly helpless. She couldn't even stand. Yet as she waited to find out who it was that was approaching, her eyes remained fixed on her partner, watching him for any signs which may have given it away. At last, she saw him sigh with relief. Tension dropped from him as both Weiss and Ruby entered the reception room. The petite heiress was half carrying the wounded rose who was using her mighty scythe as a walking aid, the spike at the foot of its haft clanging and scraping against the hard floors.

"Pyrrha! You're okay!" Ruby chirped happily at the sight of the heiress. The little reaper was looking a long way from her best. White bandages wound around her head and leg, contrasting against the black and red of her outfit. Her cloak was ragged and torn, presumably from her rough landing during the fight with Nora. Yet despite what looked to be somewhat painful injuries, she still had her same old sweet smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm alright. I'm just a little bruised and battered." Pyrrha replied, trying to keep a level voice and avoid giving away the depth of the pain that she was in. Weiss shot the champion a cynical look, seemingly seeing straight through the ploy. Yet thankfully, the heiress chose not to say anything.

"Jaune, is it clear out there?" Weiss asked, turning to look at Jaune.

"I think so. No sign of Penny out there, though there were a load of explosions going on outside the stadium. But for now I think the coast is clear. We need to get back to Beacon. Ozpin will know what to do." Jaune answered, a tone of confidence creeping into his voice. Hearing him speak in such a manner always managed to stir Pyrrha's blood, though she had no idea why.

All three of the blonde's teammates nodded in agreement, a factor which he was eternally grateful for. Inside, he sincerely hoped that they wouldn't run into Penny on their way through the city. He had seen enough of what Penny was capable of during the match. He had only been able to watch as Pyrrha was outclassed and the Atlesian stranger blasted away a whole chunk from the stadium wall. The blast alone had shaken the stadium to its very foundation. He had been caught in the crowds after that, both he and Weiss had been carried off amidst a tide of people. One he had reached the foyer he had managed to wrestle both the heiress and himself out of the crowd and arranged to split up to retrieve their partners.

Over ten minutes of terrified running, unsure either of what was going on or even if Pyrrha was still in one piece. Pushing those thoughts from his mind as he tore through the locker rooms, his legs burning with the exertion, he ran in the direction of the central arena, hoping and praying that penny wouldn't be there. Luckily for the hapless blonde she was gone, only burning detritus and scorched earth remained.

It hadn't taken him long to spot Pyrrha and he had been at her side in a matter of seconds. Relief had washed over him upon finding that she was still very much alive. Content that she wasn't about to slip away and had no serious injuries that he could see, he gathered her weaponry and returned to her, wrapping her in his arms and checked around for any signs that Penny might have been returning to finish the job. Seeing that she wasn't he had carried her off and to where they now stood.

Once again Jaune made to carry his partner but the champion waved him off. She took Miló from him and switched it through into his spear form, the mechanical clicks and whirs echoing ominously around the empty foyer. It was enough to send shivers down all of their spines, unnerving them somewhat. Using her spear as her crutch, Pyrrha put her weight on the weapon and slowly climbed to her feet. Every inch of her legs cried out in agony with the exertion and for a few moments the idea entered her head to concede defeat and simply allow Jaune to carry her, yet a part of her wasn't willing to leave herself to being carried along by others. She had always been independent and strong, she wasn't about to let that change now because of a little discomfort.

Jaune wasn't convinced however. His deep cerulean eyes stayed on her as he watched like a hawk, ready to step in at a moment's notice if he saw that she was about to fall. He knew all too well just how stubborn his redheaded partner could be, their training sessions had taught him that much if nothing else. Both Ruby and Weiss seemed to be having similar thoughts as both of them watched her too. Pyrrha frowned slightly, yes she had been through the mill a little and her arm was broken but she was in no way as fragile as they seemed to think. Sighing a little, she looked at the three of them expectantly, waiting for them to kick into action.

It was a few seconds before Jaune realised what she was waiting for but when the moment of realisation hit him he blushed bright red and shuffled over towards the doors. Slowly, his team followed, weapons either in hand or within quick drawing distance. With her free hand, Weiss rolled the revolving chambers on Myrtenaster idly with her thumb. It was one of a few habits that the Heiress had when she was nervous or anxious about something. Although in truth none of the other three could have blamed her. With the exception of Ruby, they had all seen just what Penny was capable of and in their current state; an encounter with her would not have been good for any involved.

Jaune peered out of the foyer doors, his eyes narrow as they scanned the street beyond. He remained there for a long while, poised, with Crocea Mors in hand. After a few long and painful minutes, he turned to his teammates and gave them a slow nod signalling the 'all clear'. He led the way, pushing the door open he slowly edged his way out. For the first time since she had met him, Weiss was truly astounded by the blonde's actions. He moved near enough silently, every step seemed sure and confident as he made his way further and further into the open. This was a Jaune that was for the first time, entirely serious. Something had changed within him, and Weiss knew that it had most likely stemmed from the events within the stadium. He hadn't run nor panicked like the other spectators. He had simply stood and stared as unknown numbers of innocent lives had been snuffed out like they were nothing. Indeed, he had clenched his fists in a blind rage, his anger almost boiling over before the crowds had swept them both away.

Step by agonisingly slow step, Jaune moved onwards, his head on a swivel as he looked for any sign of the murderous redhead whom, to the best of his knowledge, was still on the loose. After a few moments when she still hadn't appeared, he seemed to relax a little and signalled for the others to follow him. One by one they came out into the street to join him, the hafts of both Miló and Crescent Rose scraping against the floor as Ruby and Pyrrha moved. From across the city they heard muffled explosions rising above the wind, the four of their heads snapped over to stare in the rough direction that they were coming from, every one of them tightening their grip on their weapons despite the explosions being some way off.

"We need to get moving." Jaune said, his voice rising just loud enough to be heard over the wind as it howled past them, whipping up dust devils as it went. The blonde didn't wait for any acknowledgement from his team. Instead, he began walking again, crossing the street and heading down an alley. The alley itself was just as deserted and devoid of life, just right for them trying to slip off back to Beacon undetected. Jaune and his team walked for some time, relaxing a little more, the further through Vale they got. Yet the further that they moved, a small seed of doubt began to sprout in Weiss' mind as they walked. Instead of feeling any safer, she had the unshakable feeling that they were walking blindly into danger. Finally, as they were beginning to near the airport and had taken to the main roads again she stopped.

"Stop." She commanded "This isn't right. Something doesn't add up here." Her team continued on for a couple more paces before coming to a stop and turning to face her, confused looks on their faces.

"We have been walking through the city for a long while now and the place is completely deserted. Surely we would have seen someone out in the streets by now, even if they're homeless. Where is everyone?" the heiress continued, expressing her doubts.

"Maybe everyone is just indoors; I mean it has to be safer than out here. They're probably just hiding until the military tells them it's safe again." Ruby suggested.

"No, I don't believe that. If that's the case then where are the military? Those robot soldiers should be out here scouring the city for any signs of Penny and we haven't seen a single one yet. We just crossed nearly half of Vale and we didn't see a single one."

"That's not true, there's one right there! We can ask it what's going on." The little rose replied, pointing down the street with a grin. Sure enough, there in front of them was one of the new robotic soldiers marching towards them. Not just the one either, as it approached it was joined by three others from neighbouring side alleys. Perhaps they were sweeping the city after all. The four teenagers began to move towards the soldier, finally hoping to get some long awaited answers as to just what was going on. Weiss trailed behind, not entirely trusting of these technological war-fighters. The gap between the two groups was soon closed and the four robots formed a square around the teenagers. A few awkward moments passed before one of them spoke.

"Civilians, you are hereby ordered to hand over your weaponry and submit to questioning." One of them said, its voice was cold and artificial, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. A pit formed in each of the teenager's stomachs.

"Why are we being detained and under who's authority?" Weiss asked, following the procedure her father had taught her in the highly unlikely eventuality that she might be questioned by authorities.

"You are being detained under martial law. You will comply or face the use of deadly force." The machine replied. Jaune looked around at his team and nodded slightly to Weiss, the heiress reciprocated and together the two of them placed their weapons on the ground.

"Our two companions are injured, they can't stand without the use of their weapons, we were in the stadium when everythi-"

"All civilians present are subject to Silencing order 66, by emergency law you are hereby sentenced to death for the betterment of Vale." It replied, cutting Weiss short. All four of the robots raised their weapons and levelled them towards the four of them. Jaune backed away as a rifle barrel hovered only centimetres from his face, yet the moment he moved, he felt another being thrust into his back. As his eyes flicked down to his weapon he realised that he would never get to it in time. Ordinarily Ruby would be able to whizz around and save them using her semblance yet, she could barely stand. No, there was no way out that the blonde could see.

Jaune looked into the face of the robot holding the rifle in his face as his gut twisted and knotted inside him. He was about to be executed without a trial in broad daylight. What would his mother and father think? Would they even be told? Even as he watched, the mechanical monstrosities cocked their weapons and made ready to fire. Even aura wouldn't protect them for long. He watched as the technological terror began to squeeze the trigger and… exploded.

Metal flew all around in shredded sheets as the four robotic soldiers exploded simultaneously with a purple aura. The pieces scattered all over the street, burning, with thick black smoke rising from the smouldering circuitry. Jaune immediately reached down and grabbed Crocea Mors, readying himself to battle whatever new foe had blown apart the robots. Yet surprise shot through him as out from a nearby alley stepped Glynda Goodwitch. She seemed a lot more disgruntled and angry than usual. Her ordinarily neat and tidy appearance had grown somewhat more dishevelled. Her blouse had a hole torn in the sleeve the edges of which were stained with blood from a now visible gash. Her hair had escaped its tight bun and had gone a little wild, presumably from brief skirmishes with some unknown enemy.

"Children, are you alright? It isn't safe here. You need to get yourselves off the streets. Come with me." She spoke quickly and efficiently, the tone of her voice left no room for questions of arguments. They simply followed as she led them off of the streets and into the same alleyway that she had emerged from. The walked along for a short way before she stopped and flicked her riding crop. A manhole cover rose up from the ground and moved out of the way, hovering a few feet in the air. With a single look, Jaune understood. He stepped forwards and climbed down through the manhole and into the sewers below.

The smell was, of course the first thing that caught Jaune's attention. In short, it was one of the foulest things that the blonde had ever encountered in his life. The first couple of breaths nearly stole his lunch from him as it threatened to come back up, after that he resigned himself to breathing only through his mouth. Looking about, he got his first look at his new surroundings. He was stood on a paved walk way in a circular tunnel which ran along the tunnel wall for as far as he could see into the gloom. Beside the walkway was a channel through which a steady flow of human filth passed. From up above him he heard the sounds from a slight argument between what sounded like Weiss and the professor. For a moment, Jaune chuckled to himself. Of course the 'primp and proper' heiress wouldn't be too happy about coming down into the sewers, especially with her bright white combat skirt on. Yet the professor sounded unrelenting and, with a great deal of grumbling and more than a few harsh words she made her way down the ladder to join her smirking leader. She too took a few moments to adapt to the ungodly smell rising from the literal river of filth flowing past them

After them came both Pyrrha and Ruby, as they were unable to climb, Goodwitch lowered them down with a flick of her wrist, setting them down gently below before climbing down herself. To Jaune's surprise she seemed completely unaffected by the harsh odours assaulting them. The only reaction that Jaune saw was the tightening of her frown and a slight increase to the furrowing of her brow. The manhole cover was dropped back into place and the five of them were plunged into darkness. It took a few seconds but once more Goodwitch drew on her power and summoned an orb of light which hovered just a short way above her head.

Giving them all a few moments for their eyes to adjust, the Professor set of walking down the sewer tunnel; Jaune and his team followed after as fast as they were able given the nature of both Pyrrha and Ruby's injuries. The only sounds within that dark place were the scrape of both Miló and Crescent Rose against the floor and the rhythmic and harsh clacking of Goodwitch's heels. They walked for what seemed like hours yet may have only been minutes, until a soft glow appeared ahead of them from a side door leading off of the tunnel. As they moved towards it Jaune began to hear soft voices, muffled at first but steadily more and more clear.

Ahead of their group, Goodwitch extinguished the orb of light, allowing it to dissipate once more and leaving them with only the soft glow from up ahead. It grew brighter and brighter as they approached until before long it was illuminating them as well. Goodwitch walked on and stepped through the doorway into a wide chamber, seemingly used by the maintenance crews that worked on the sewer line. In the centre was a single large table across which a map of Vale had been pinned out. Gathered around the table were several figures that the group knew well; the teachers from Beacon academy with Ozpin explaining something that Jaune couldn't make out.

For a few long moments Jaune was confused, it made no sense to him as he looked around. Ozpin was the headmaster at Beacon, what was he doing hiding out in the sewers underneath Vale? Just what had happened, first Penny and then the robotic soldiers attempting to execute them.

Other than them there were a fair few others milling around the room, individuals that Jaune had seen before around campus, students ranging in age from first to fourth years. Before he had the opportunity to take in much more of their surroundings, a yellow blur shot past him and tackled Ruby, sweeping her up into a tight hug. The blur was of course the reaper's older and incredibly defensive sister, yang.

"Y-Yang! Let me go I-I can't breathe!" She gasped, struggling to draw breath due to the brawler's tight hug. Thankfully Yang set her sister down fairly quickly before seeing the petite girl's bandages and blushing for the first time that Jaune had ever seen, with tears in her eyes.

"Sorry Rubes, I just…. I kinda worried about you. You were gone for ages up there and well I didn't know if I'd be seeing you again y'know?" She explained, drying her eyes quickly with her neckerchief. Behind the brawler stood an impatient looking Goodwitch, an irritated look in her eyes, yet she waited for the two teams' reunion to finish before clearing her throat and catching their attention once more.

"I'm sorry to break up this reunion however Professor Ozpin wishes to speak with you all." She explained quickly, ushering them over towards the map table. Ozpin looked up from the table with tired eyes, sighing softly to himself.

"I am glad to see you all safe and I know you must have many questions, but all will become apparent in time. Firstly, I am sure that you have noticed that the city above is no longer the safe haven it once was. The robotic defence forces which once kept the citizens safe are now operating as judge, jury and executioner. Even Beacon, the primary training centre for young hunters and huntresses, isn't safe. That is why we are here." The headmaster finished, gesturing to the room around him. It had a fair few of the students from Beacon within, though nowhere near the entirety of the school's student population.

"But Professor, what happened?" Blake asked with a confused expression on her face.

"An unknown virus was activated all across the Vale network." He explained. "It was fast evolving and unlike anything that we have seen before. It struck at the soldiers first, altering their programming and instilling new directives within them. They ceased to be protectors and instead became ruthless oppressors controlled by a kingpin. Not only that, the virus travelled through the CTT systems, broadcasting all over the world. From what we understand similar situations have occurred in all of the kingdoms as well as a complete communications blackout."

"So it was a kind of invasion from the inside?" Yang asked after a brief pause, seemingly having pieced it all together.

"More or less. The one who ordered it now has complete and total control over the entirety of Remnant. The same individual is responsible for the mass arrests made of both hunters and those training to become hunters. They stormed Beacon and rounded up all that they could. The ones you see here are those who managed to escape. We are consolidating down here while we finalise our plans to fight back." Ozpin concluded with a sense of finality in his voice. The students all thought on what he had said, a single question slowly forming in each of their minds. The professor was right, he had explained away most of their questions, but as is the way with such things for every question he answered a further two sprang up to take its place.

"But sir, that doesn't explain what happened to Penny. She went totally crazy too, it couldn't have been the virus either." Jaune said, voicing the question that many of them had.

"A very good question and it is one with a somewhat sensitive answer. As I'm sure many of you are aware, Atlas is the foremost nation when it comes to technological advancement and military development. Well, as it happens, Penny is a direct result of those two worlds colliding. She is the very first artificial human capable of generating and sustaining an aura."

"You mean she's a robot?" Ruby interjected.

"No you dolt! She's an android!" Weiss corrected.

"Well… more like a cyborg really as she is constructed out of both organic material and mechanical parts. She was initially designated as 16. Given that she was the sixteenth experiment." Ozpin explained. "And since she is a part machine, primarily the part which acts as her 'brain', this virus altered her just as it altered the rest of the machinated soldiers."

"You referred to 'the one who ordered it'; do you know who it is? We have to stop this now before it goes too far and international relations are permanently damaged beyond repair."

"Quite right, in fact I suspect that what you just described is the overall objective to this whole scheme. After all, we do know the perpetrator and they would certainly benefit from such events. Although it pains me to think that they would stoop so low. The one responsible for all of this is General James Ironwood."

* * *

**Shock horror! Who would have thought that Ironwood was a total bastard?! Oh yeah... everyone. Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, if you did please favourite and follow this tale. Leave me a review and tell me what you think, I read them all. Thats all for this week's installment. Please bear in mind that there may not actually be a chapter next week as it is freshers week at university and I will be either; very drunk, very hungover or trying to connect with the wifi. it will be around two weeks and then should be a case of business as usual once again.**

**Many thanks and as always, Ill see you all in the next chapter.**


	27. The Board is Set

**hello everyone, and welcome back to A Rose for the Champion. Here is your chapter and I apologise for how late it is. In between freshers week parties, regular hangovers and lectures writing has been a difficulty. I will continue writing but these updates may well be few and far between now due to my increasingly busy schedule. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Each of the eight teens looked at Ozpin with differing levels of shock. Was it really true? Had the General really betrayed everyone that had trusted in him and enslaved them all for their troubles? Around the headmaster the atmosphere fell like a stone, it lost its joviality and adopted an air of confusion and shock. No-one knew quite what to say or do. To the surprise of all it was Weiss whom had the strongest reaction. Her little hands were clenched into fists at her side and her whole body seemed to tremble with a mixture of anger and sorrow. Her face was twisted into a look of pure disgust as though she couldn't possibly fathom what might lead a man to commit such crimes.

"How could he?" She asked her voice scarcely above a whisper yet the venom and hatred within was clear to all within earshot. It sent shivers up and down Jaune's spine as he listened; knowing full well that no matter what Ironwood had done Weiss would pay it back to him in full with the tip of her sword.

"He had it all; he was wealthy, in charge of one of the top academies in the world as well as being lord and master over the most powerful military on the face of the earth. What could possibly have convinced him that this was the right path to take? What could have made him think that such an act of aggression could possibly end in anything but disaster for himself and the world around him?! Not only has he doomed himself, he has also put the entirety of Atlas commerce at risk, including my father's company! When people find out that it was the leader of the Atlas military who attacked the rest of the world, either by order of the council or not, the implications for our economy will be drastic. They will place an embargo on all trade in and out of Atlas." Weiss continued, her voice rising in volume as she went on, her anger boiling over within her and threatening to consume her. Besides the fuming heiress, Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her an imploring look. She turned to face her leader with fire burning hot within her eyes, contrasting against the icy blue. She locked eyes with him for a long moment before she uttered a long sigh and relented. Calming herself down, she unclenched her fists and took a couple of steps back, her posture and expression once again adopting its usual impassive state.

"Yes Miss Schnee it is indeed a shocking series of events, the political fallout from which will be very lengthy and profound. However, as I'm sure you are aware, we cannot afford to lose our heads on this issue and retaliate without thinking. As I previously said we have been down here carefully contemplating out next manoeuvre and we think that we have found a way to strike back." Ozpin explained once the heiress seemed suitably calm. Around him, the students all gathered in to hear what the old headmaster had to say.

"We believe that we can shut down this virus and free up the remainder of Remnant in one fell swoop. It will however take a great deal of co-ordination and courage from you. I didn't ever want to ask this of you due to the incredible risk that this plan poses, however due to circumstances each of the staff have agreed that this is the best course of action open to us. Professor Goodwitch." He continued, stepping aside to allow Glynda to step in. The disciplinarian stepped up to the table and set down her scroll projecting a 3d map of Vale onto the table. It was finely detailed, showing each and every building, passageway and alley.

"Ladies and gentlemen please close in and pay attention. The plan of action is very simple. You will each be split into three task forces and sent to three separate objectives. Team Burgundy, you will be assigned to attacking the CCT tower here in Vale. Your role will be to disable the tower's communications array, by any means necessary. Ironwood likely knows that the tower is the vulnerable link in his control network and so it is likely going to be very heavily defended so let nothing stand in your way. You shall be accompanied by Doctor Oobleck who will act as your direct liaison with Professor Ozpin and me."

As she finished explaining their role, team BRNY each nodded in agreement and Yang loudly cracked her knuckles. It somehow made sense that the blonde brawler would be so raring to go for the battle ahead. Even Blake and Ren, individuals known for their perpetual calm, seemed to have a fire burning within their eyes. Anxiously, Jaune waited to hear what his own team would be assigned to do.

"Team Jasper, Your own task is a little more risky. You are going to be sneaking into the Beacon campus through the network of sewer tunnels underneath Vale. We don't know what the General will have deployed to defend this route but expect heavy resistance." She said with a nod. "Once within Beacon itself your role will be to cut the head off of the snake, you are to isolate and neutralise the General himself. Be aware that you must not underestimate the General; he is more than he seems. I will be accompanying you on this mission, understood?"

As the Professor explained their role in the whole master plan, a deep feeling of foreboding settled itself in Jaune's gut. He couldn't shake the notion that something was going to go wrong and that maybe they wouldn't all make it back. Yet he knew that the Professor wouldn't let them get hurt if she could avoid it, that one small thought gave him comfort. Looking over his own team he watched as they seemed to exude an air of determination as though nothing that Ironwood could possibly throw at them would stop them.

"But what about when the General finds out about these task forces, won't he just ship all of his available troops out to meet them? Isn't this just suicide for them?" Another student asked, stepping forward. Around him several other students murmured their agreements, looking at both BRNY and JSPR with a critical eye.

"Yes, in the event that they were the only fighters that would probably be the case. However that is where the rest of you will come into play. Everyone else will be massing elsewhere in the city and you will charge the school forcing Ironwood's eye to be fixed upon the main battle right in front of him. Our reports suggest that he is holding the professional hunters prisoner within the residential wing. That is to be your objective. No matter what happens, you are to push for that. If we can free even a handful of hunters it might be enough to turn the tide of the battle."

Once more a ripple of murmurs travelled through the remaining students, in their eyes Jaune believed he could see fear and even envy directed towards both his team and Blake's. He could understand why, compared to a headlong charge against Beacon's front gates, his own mission sounded like a peaceful stroll in the park. Although he knew that they would be far from that. For the rest of the briefing he struggled to devote more than half his attention as his mind played through the role which his team would play. He wasn't sure how best to fight within the sewers and hoped that they would encounter only light resistance because of it.

Once the briefing was over the students drifted away again into their respective sections of the room. Walking with his team Jaune settled himself down against the wall with his head in his hands. He was still having trouble in calming his mind and the added nerves caused by his team's new found responsibilities weren't helping at all. Around him, both Ruby and Pyrrha tried to help him relax, talking to him in soft voices so that others around them might not hear.

"It's going to be alright Jaune. This is exactly what we have trained for the whole time we were at Beacon. We always knew a day like this might come. In times of war, the Hunters serve as soldiers, fighting to try and restore peace." Pyrrha said.

"'In times of war'? Is that what this is? Are we just soldiers now? I'm not even eighteen and I'm expected to head out there, fight and maybe even be killed?" He replied

"We all are Jaune. Every last one of us is. We all knew that being a hunter would mean serving the people of Vale before ourselves and right now they need us to do that more than ever. There are thousands of innocent people out there, afraid and unsure of what tomorrow might bring, or even if they will get to see tomorrow. They need us Jaune." Weiss interjected, shocking them all by stepping in from her usual position of detachment.

"But Weiss… I'm scared." He murmured, already knowing that it was a weak answer.

"And when has that ever stopped you before. There have been countless numbers of times where we have all been scared and you have led the way. In initiation when we were all in a panic about that Nevermore you were the one with a level head, and the only one who had any idea how we might kill that thing!"

"But Yang was the one who killed it in the end and she did that alone." He retorted.

"What about our first assignment? The whole town was at risk from one of the deadliest Grimm to ever stalk the face of Remnant? Yet you stood strong in the defence of that town against a tidal wave of monsters and even when a professional huntsman turned tail and fled and all common sense told you to do the same. You remained calm and thought of a plan. Not only that but you took on the responsibility yourself so that none of your team might come to harm."

"B-but I was doing that to protect my friends and family…" He tried to justify but the heiress was unrelenting. The blonde knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

"And you are doing that now. With Ironwood holding the world in the palm of his hand, do you honestly think that any of our families are truly safe? We must do this assignment to make sure that none of them may come under threat. I know that you have it in you Jaune and so does Ozpin. You were made a team leader because you deserved to be one. You earned your position and with every mission we all go on you only serve to justify the headmaster's decision. We will all follow you into the very pits of hell if you asked it of us, so don't show our faith to be misplaced by bowing out right when we need you most." Weiss continued, her face colouring a little as she lay bare just what it was that she thought of her leader. Jaune listened in pure disbelief, a feeling mirrored on his face. Did Weiss really think so highly of him that she would truly go through all of that for him? Looking around, first at Ruby and then his own partner, he saw an expression mirroring Weiss' on both of their faces. For the first time since the four of them had been grouped together, the three girls were all in agreement together.

The blonde knight looked at them each in turn with an expression of pure gratitude, a film of tears in his eyes as, for the first time; he knew that he truly and utterly meant something to someone.

"T-thank you Weiss, thank you all." He said his voice scarcely above a whisper. The Heiress only chuckled and folded her arms with a satisfied snort, though she couldn't entirely suppress the colour blooming in her cheeks.

"You're welcome, but tell anyone that I said that and I'll deny it." She caught harsh looks from the other two girls "What? I have a reputation to uphold y'know?"

At that, both Ruby and Pyrrha stared at the heiress with expressions like they had just been slapped hard. Jaune only laughed, starting as a small chuckle and building into a rich and full laugh. All around the room, eyes turned to face the blonde with brows raised quizzically. Yet Jaune didn't care. He laughed at just how the heiress had reacted. It had become her custom for whenever she demonstrated emotional capacity or affection to immediately try and draw herself back into her usual impassive state. Every time he watched her do it, it never failed to make him laugh.

When finally he stopped laughing again, his sides ached and his lungs burned. Catching the number of people who were looking straight at him at last, he began to slowly turn a brilliant shade of red. Moving over towards the circular wall of the room, he removed Crocea Mors from his waist and sat down against the wall. Drawing his family's blade from its sheath, he studied the edge intently for any chips or battle damage. If he was to lead his team into battle the following day, then he would have to make absolutely sure that his equipment was in the very best condition. Seeing that there were no major scars on the metal, he retrieved his whetstone from the pouch at his waist and began to slowly sharpen his weapon.

His teammates soon joined him, taking their places at his sides. Pyrrha sat to his left and began to inspect her arm. All around her, her black aura flared out as her body began to attempt repairs on her damaged limbs. Her arm glowed with particular intensity. He paused in his maintenance to watch her as both Ruby and Weiss sat with him to his right.

Pyrrha had her eyes closed, taking deep breaths in and out as she entered a meditative state. Her calm was broken by the occasional wince and pained expression. Jaune didn't know how long he watched her for, it could have been minutes or it could have been hours. He had ceased to be aware of the passage of time, being far too interested in what she was doing. It always intrigued him to watch the other Beacon students as they manipulated their aura, though why it was he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was the hope of learning some new technique from them. Regardless of why, his cerulean blue orbs remained fixed on her face.

Finally, after quite some time, her eyes fluttered open once more. She leant forward with a sigh of relief, wiping away the sweat which beaded her forehead. Seemingly, the exertion of fixing her various injuries had taken quite the toll on her physically. Once again, Jaune reached into his pouch and pulled out a small chocolate bar. It was his favourite kind and he had planned to enjoy it after all the fights at the end of the day. His eyes lingered on the sweet for a long moment before, with an immense force of will; he held it out to her.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha said quizzically, her intense viridian eyes fixing on the packet and then the blonde's face.

"You look a little hungry after all that. It's alright, take it." He replied with a smile. Pyrrha watched his face for a few seconds, as though making sure he was sincere before slowly reaching out and taking the packet. The champion would never normally have eaten such a thing, instead choosing to stick with her strictly healthy diet. But at that moment she was too hungry and tired at that moment to care. She took a slow nibble of the sugary treat, slowly savouring its flavours for a long moment and mulling over whether or not she found them pleasing; yet before she could reach her verdict, her stomach let out a growl reminding her of her hunger and the fact that she hadn't eaten since first thing that morning. After that, she soon polished off the snack, glad to have her hunger sated, at least in part.

Seeing that she had at least eaten something, Jaune settled back into his work on Crocea Mors. The rasp of his whetstone upon the blade was the only sound that filled their region of that room as his teammates got comfortable around him. Before long, he was the only one that remained awake. He sat there in the gloom, his brilliant blue eyes fixed on the blade in front of him. As he finished sharpening his weapon and made to inspect the blade, he heard a soft whimpering off to his left.

Turning to face the source of this noise, he saw Pyrrha, her sleeping face twisted with fear. Even as he watched, she curled herself up into a ball, wrapping her arms around her knees and hugging them close to her chest. Her hands locked with one another, turning them white with the sheer force of her grip. Her whole body trembled as whatever nightmare she was embroiled in upped the intensity. Reaching out, he made to place his hand on her shoulder so that she might at least know that he was there. But as his hand approached her skin, a mere hair's breadth from her she jolted awake. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she struggled to comprehend just what horrors that her subconscious had thrown at her.

He reached out and gently placed his hand upon her bare shoulder. With a gasp he found her to be icy cold to his touch. Removing his hoodie, he quickly wrapped it around her shoulders and pulled her in close, hugging her tightly. She struggled against him for a moment before coming to terms with her surroundings and relaxing into his arms. Tears formed within her eyes and rolled their way down her cheeks, dampening his t-shirt, but he didn't mind. He held her for a long while, rocking her back and forth gently.

"It's alright Pyrrha. I'm here" He cooed, gently rubbing her arm.

"B-but Jaune… She was there…" She sobbed in reply.

"Who was there?"

"P-Penny… She was out of control… I couldn't stop her…" The champion whimpered beside him, clearly disturbed by the events that her mind had pushed onto her.

"Pyrrha, there is no-one that you can't beat. No-one." He replied, pulling away to give her honest to goodness smile.

"But she is just too powerful. I couldn't even block her attacks in the tournament."

"Pyrrha, she isn't too powerful. I mean sure she is really strong but there is no way that I'm going to let her hurt you, and neither would Ruby or Weiss. Penny might be able to beat any of us on our own, but we aren't on our own are we? We fight together, all four of us." Jaune felt some colour come to his cheeks as he spoke, and hoped that the gloom concealed it from his partner.

"Y-you really mean that?" She asked with a hint of scepticism which wounded the blonde's pride. Was it really so uncertain that he would be willing to fight against the worst odds with his partner?

"Of course I mean that Pyrrha. You have always stood by me. I would be a poor excuse for a partner if I abandoned you when you most needed it." Hearing those words seemed to have a more profound impact on the redhead. Her saddened expression was replaced with one of a more cheerful disposition which in turn bolstered the blonde's spirits. He pulled her in a little closer and rested his head against hers. The two of them shuffled around a little before both were in a satisfactory position of comfort. To anyone else in the room it might have seemed that the two of them had ceased to be separate entities and had instead become only one. The two teenagers closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep with warm smiles on their faces.

Jaune dreamed that night for the first time in a long while. He dreamed vividly of Vale; every detail seemed so real and precise that he might have just reached out and touched it all. He could smell everything, and see clearer than ever before. He looked down upon the city from great height, watching small wisps of cloud float by below him, completely unaffected by the events below. Indeed, there was something going on in the city. With growing horror he saw that a great many of the buildings were ablaze with great billowing plumes of smoke rising up towards the sky. In the streets themselves were crowds of people charging around with battle cries upon their lips. To Jaune, the whole city looked like an ant's nest that had been stirred up. Seeing the wide variety of the weapons that they carried, he easily identified them as hunters.

With a frown, he watched on as another group of ants came into view in the streets, another colony of ants, yet unlike the first batch these shone in the brilliant morning sun. They formed tight blocks which completely spanned the street. Even as he watched on, they produced what he perceived to be rifles and raised them up. The battle cries faded and became more uncertain of themselves and then, as the blonde watched, the first volley was fired. Time itself seemed to slow to a stand-still, he saw each of the bullets in perfect clarity as they rocketed towards their targets with deadly accuracy. Closer and closer they flew until only a scant inch separated them from their targets. He tried to shout, to warn them but whenever he tried no sound came from him. In horror he watched as the deadly projectiles struck the first ranks of the charging huntsmen. And then he woke up.

Sweat beaded his forehead, cold and unforgiving. It was a true sign of the intensity of his dreams. His breathing was ragged no matter how hard he tried to calm it. Gradually his eyes came into focus and he found himself staring straight into the golden feline eyes of Blake. She looked at him with a momentary expression of concern, scrutinizing his face for any signs of trouble or instability. The blonde only stared back, still struggling to fully comprehend his dream. Was it an omen, a bad sign for all those about to march blindly into battle? Peering past the faunus he found that his teammates and the remaining members of team Burgundy were already up and on their feet. Pushing against the wall behind him, he rose to his feet and shook the sleepiness from his mind. Stepping over to stand with his friends he caught a brief smile from Pyrrha and an unexpected hug from the little rose. Weiss only gave him a curt nod, her mind already in the mind set for their task.

"Well Jaune… Are you ready?" Blake asked in a low voice as she came to stand beside him.

"I think so. You?" He replied, trying to sound as confident as he could.

"Honestly? We're nervous. But we'll do our best to get the job done." Such a revelation perturbed the blonde, it was unusual for him to ever pick up on Blake being nervous. For her to freely admit it must have been something incredibly difficult for the stoical faunus.

"It'll be okay… We'll all be back in our own beds tonight, just you wait and see." Jaune said after a brief pause, looking around at the faces of his friends and wondering if he might ever see them all together again. He bolstered his voice with as much confidence as he could muster and for a moment, their morale seemed to be lifted. The two teams queued for their rations and ate their last meal together before their 'zero hour'. It was a jovial atmosphere with bawdy jokes flying freely from Yang, keeping them all entertained. Yet it couldn't last, as Goodwitch approached their newfound positivity was sapped away again, leaving them each alone with their nerves once more.

"It's time… Good luck to you all." The professor said. They were simple words, yet the look on her face expressed an inner most concern for the eight of them along with a single question which undoubtedly, all of the professors were thinking.

'_Will I ever see these students alive again?'_

* * *

**So yeah, this chapter ended in a much darker way than I may never have anticipated. Yet I feel that in order to truly set the tone for what I have planned in the next couple of chapters, it is an entirely necessary tone shift and I hope you all enjoyed it all the same. Send me all the reviews you like and let me know what you think. If you enjoyed this chapter then please do show your support by favouriting and following. A great many thanks to you all and as always I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	28. The Pieces are moving

**RWBY volume 3 has landed! I am absolutely psyched to see where they take this. But with the first episode I found my inspiration returning to me. As such I developed my verve for writing once again and am proud to present to you the very latest chapter in this tale. As always, I sincerely hope that you all enjoy it.**

* * *

Darkness, as far as the eye could see, this was what greeted Blake and her team as they made their way through the sewer system below Vale. The Faunus led the way, her superior night vision coming in handy as she kept her team on the right path. Though just what that path was, Yang had no idea. In the confusing maze of tunnels, the brawler had become completely turned around. There was no sound within the tunnels beyond the rhythmic tapping and drumming of their feet on the cold concrete underfoot. To all of their surprise, Oobleck hadn't insisted on speed for their mission. Instead he had opted for a much calmer approach with repeated use of the idiom 'more haste, less speed'.

Yet that hadn't stopped Blake from leading her team at the quickest speed that they could safely move. The sheer gravity of their mission was not lost on her, it was a very simple concept; the faster that they shut down the signal from the CCT, then the less robotic monstrosities that their allies would have to face in the main battle for Beacon. Ultimately, every second may well have equated to a life and so Blake was not willing to waste time simply because of physical discomfort. Judging by the looks on her teammates' faces, they weren't about to slow down either.

Before long, Blake came to a halt by a ladder in the tunnel wall, out of breath and with sweat beading her brow. She quickly called her teammates over and read the number beside the ladder. Oobleck soon joined her and gave a quick nod, a movement barely visible to all others with them. With an equally quick nod to confirm that she had received the message, Blake grasped hold of the rungs on the ladder and began to climb. Behind her, her teammates followed with Oobleck behind them.

Reaching the top of the ladder, Blake lifted the manhole cover to the street above. She raised it ever so slightly so that only a crack of the outside world was visible. It took a few moments for her eyes to readjust to the light of day but once they had, she peered around suspiciously for any signs of the enemy or their objective. Thankfully, there were none of the general's technological terrors to be seen. Furthermore, the CCT tower loomed over the city only a short way away. With a sigh of relief Blake thanked Professor Goodwitch for her advice to use the tunnels to get close. Looking back down Blake passed on her assessment of their situation to the others.

"Okay, the coast looks clear and the tower isn't too far away. We should move quickly and quietly while we're out there. It wouldn't do to bring any… unwanted… attention onto ourselves. Yang, I'm looking at you." She whispered down to them, at the joke Yang rolled her eyes and sighed in mock disappointment. Before the blonde brawler could retaliate however, Blake had hefted the manhole cover off to one side and climbed up onto the surface. The moment she felt solid ground beneath her feet, she dashed away into a back passage beside one of the houses. Her golden eyes darted around, assessing the situation and actively seeking so much as the whisper of a threat. Her hand grasped the hilt of Gambol Shroud with a vice-like grip. She was taking no risks today.

One by one her teammates emerged from the bowels of the earth, dashing over to Blake's hiding spot and joining in the vigil of their surroundings. As Oobleck climber up after them and began to replace the manhole cover, every one of the teenagers was on edge. The loud scraping of the metal against the paved street caused their hearts to leap into their throats, surely someone or something would hear them. Surely they would be caught and what would happen after that didn't bear thinking about. Blake watched the Doctor with growing trepidation as finally, he managed to get the manhole cover back into place and dart over to join them. For a few very tense moments, they stood perfectly still and held their breath listening for the slightest of sounds which might have indicated the imminent arrival of Ironwood's military machine.

After a few long minutes, they relaxed once more, content in the knowledge that they were safe, if only for a few more minutes. Taking the lead, Oobleck began to lead them out and away from the small back passageway that they had concealed themselves in. Heading forward, they left the wider alley and arrived at the curb to a main street. Oobleck tentatively poked his head out and around the corner, peering from side to side. He took a long while surveying their surroundings, his head moving on a swivel for some time until, quite suddenly he stopped. The colour appeared to have drained from his face as he turned back to face them.

"Everyone, we need to try and find another way." He whispered to them, his voice shaky and lacking its usual inherent enthusiasm. The four teenagers looked at him with an expression of confusion and made to obey his instruction until Yang stepped forward.

"Why Doctor? What's stopping us from going that way? Are there soldiers?" She asked, taking a step towards the street intending to take a look for herself. Oobleck placed himself firmly in front of the brawler, barring all movement.

"Miss Xiao-Long, Yang, please. There are certain things that you simply are not ready to see. Please let's just find another way." He replied, imploring the blonde to reconsider. Yet Yang wouldn't be placated, the curiosity caused by the Doctor's unusual behaviour spurred her on. Pushing past him she made her way to the end of the alley, her lilac eyes turning to face the same direction that Oobleck had only moments before. Quite suddenly her body froze and her hands trembled in shock, for there, right before her very eyes was a sight that truly made her blood run cold and her heart skip a beat.

Every lamp post down the street had grisly decorations hung from them. Rope had been tied to the heads and hung down a couple of feet before coming to a looping end in the form of a noose. And there, suspended in those nooses were the lifeless forms of hunters and huntresses both. Around their necks were hung wooden plaques, marked up in chalk with their shared crime. They read; _'See here those who sought to destroy the peace.'_

As her eyes scanned over the forms, she came to see one which struck at her very core. It was a familiar face indeed and one that she knew well though death had changed it somewhat. Her eyes flared up and switched from lilac to a blood red, fire flickered in the depths of her irises as she dropped to her knees. Tears formed and began to streak their way down her cheeks, the rolling droplets falling to the concrete floor below. Looking at the body she saw the sign around its neck was different from all the others, it was personalised and read; _'This dusty old crow fell off of his perch.' _

"U-Uncle Qrow…" Yang whimpered softly, unable to take her eyes off of the corpse of her beloved uncle. It felt as though her whole world were crashing down around her ears as every memory that she had of the older hunter played out in full in her mind's eye; every birthday and Christmas, every comforting hug and teary eyed reunion. All of them ran through her head, inescapable and only adding to the depths of her sorrow and loss. Balling her hands into fists she slammed her bare knuckles into the pavement below, splitting the skin and leaving droplets of her blood behind. Over and over again she punched at the ground, seeking to block out the raw pain of her heartache. It was inescapable and struck at her again and again like waves seeking to undermine a cliff. She vaguely became aware of hands grasping at her shoulders and a familiar voice in her ear though she couldn't place through the haze of her grief.

"Yang. I know it hurts I do, but if we don't get out of this street we might end up just like your uncle." Blake said sympathetically.

"I-I don't care anymore…" Yang began to reply, yet before she could finish she was cut short by her partner slapping her.

"Don't you _ever_ say that. What about Ruby? How dare you. She will need you to be there for her when she finds out about this. I know it hurts but right now we need to keep moving so we can stop Ironwood doing this to anyone else."

"_Stop him_?" Yang asked with an expression of confusion "No… I'm going to _kill_ him. Slowly. So slowly that he will beg for the end before I'm done. I will teach him the pain and suffering that he has forced on me. He will know." It was at that moment, hearing her partner speak those words with such venom and hatred, that Blake felt a measure of pity well up within her. It was pity for a man she had thought herself incapable of pitying, it was pity for Ironwood. After all, he had no idea of the hell that he had just unleashed upon himself.

* * *

Sweat poured from Jaune as he ran, droplets shaking themselves free of his face and falling to the floor. It had been the same ever since his team had set off that morning. His bright blonde hair hung over his eyes, plastered to his forehead by sweat alone. Around him, each of his teammates had a similar appearance. Up ahead, Goodwitch led them unerringly and at a break-neck pace. They were not allowed to stop nor slow down as the professor led them on like a woman possessed. Jaune had thought that his training sessions with Pyrrha had improved his fitness exponentially, yet still he had trouble keeping up with the professor. It proved amazing to him that she could hold such a ferocious pace while wearing heels. It only served to reinforce his view that Goodwitch was not someone to be trifled with.

After some time and just as Jaune felt that he couldn't go on any longer and his legs would give out, the professor slackened her pace and came to a halt. Turning to face the four students, she waited impatiently as they gathered around her. As Jaune looked up at Goodwitch, fighting for air after the run that he had just endured, he noticed the weariness apparent on her face. It looked as though the disciplinarian professor had not been immune to the pains of their run after all. Sweat beaded her face, and although she did an excellent job of trying to hide it, she was breathing far more heavily than usual. The Professor had been fighting against the limitations of her own body, just as team JSPR had been alongside her. Such a realisation brought a feeling of guilt up from deep within the blonde as he tried to reign in the signs of fatigue from his own body so as to follow Goodwitch's example and attempt to inspire his team. These attempts were not lost on the professor who offered up a tired yet subtle smile.

"Alright…" The professor began. Although she spoke softly, her voice still reverberated off of the tunnel walls around them. "This is where our mission truly begins. From here on out, we are to face the unknown. Beyond this point, we have very little notion as to what it is that you shall be facing so keep your wits about you and remember your training. Keep close to me and your partners because once the fighting starts and it _will_, we will only have each other. Mr Arc, please remember to keep an eye on your aura. Now, draw your weapons and let's take back Remnant."

A second smile crossed the professor's lips as around her, four weapons were drawn. The sounds of rasping steel rang out, cold metal gleaming in the gloom. Four sets of eyes, burning with determination locked onto the professor. All thoughts of their prior fatigue had all but disappeared; the four of them were ready for battle.

The harsh shrieks and squealing of tearing metal filled the air as team BRNY continued to fight their way towards the looming CCT tower ahead. It had not taken long for their enemy to find them. Wave upon wave of the automated soldiers advanced on them, and wave upon wave were cut down and hacked to pieces by the hunters. Much to Blake's surprise, Yang managed to keep her temper under wraps. Aside from small flames flickering within her hair, it remained nigh on impossible to detect any signs of the extreme rage which the brawler was holding in. Of course Blake knew why that was; she knew all too well that Yang was holding everything back until she finally managed to get hold of the General.

One by one, the metallic monstrosities fell. Step by step their group drew closer to their goal until at long last they arrived at the main plaza surrounding the CCT. The once tasteful flower beds were razed and the trees converted into little more than withered and blackened sticks. Yet the destruction of the peace-time décor was the least of their worries. There, arrayed before them and blocking their path to the tower was a shining sea of the metal soldiers. An entire battalion arrayed against them. Blake's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the unflinching army before them and her heart sank. There was simply no way that they would be able to fight off that many soldiers… They were going to die.

Yet from beside her, Yang strode out to stand a few paces ahead of her team. Fire flickered dangerously amidst her golden locks. Blake made to step forward and pull her partner back but was stopped dead by the brawler's voice.

"Blake… it's alright. I've got this." She said in a low tone. As Yang briefly turned to face her team, Blake could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yang… What do you mean? You can't take on that many on your own." The faunus leader replied, "We need to fight together to have any chance of survival here. There are too many."

"These… things… killed my uncle Blake." She replied in an icy tone as her semblance flared up. Her hands trembled at her side, balled tightly into fists. The smouldering regions of her hair burst into fully fledged flames again as her eyes flickered to a blood red. In all of the time leading up to that moment, and certainly in all of the time since, never had Blake ever seen the brawler's eyes shift to such a dark and fearsome shade of red. Yang had ceased to seem fully human, instead taking on a semblance of the Grimm. Her eyes ceased to contain the elements which made her Yang, no longer did they hold the care and compassion which made the brawler who she truly was, now they contained nothing but hatred and anger for those who had dared to harm her kin.

At her sides, Ember Celica unfolded into their full form with shotgun barrels bared menacingly. Even as her team watched on her aura flared out around her, forming a mist which flickered angrily in shimmering gold. Blake watched on in awe, her mind struggling to process what it was that she was seeing. It was unlike anything that Yang had ever exhibited before… this was her final form.

In front of her Ironwood's steel soldiers stared on completely impassive to the blonde's change in appearance and the power which it granted her. They felt no fear as she began to step forward leaving flaming footprints of molten stone behind her. One of the automatons stepped forth out of the ranks and demanded her surrender and that of her team, but the computerised words fell on deaf ears as she broke into a sprint and slammed her fist straight through its torso. Beneath their feat the whole world seemed to shudder from the ferocity of the attack. Electricity crackled around her fist for a few moments before the machine exploded violently, concealing Yang from her team in a vast plume of smoke and dust.

Though they couldn't see her, they could certainly hear the brawler. From behind the smoke came the sounds of frenzied battle. As the smoke cleared, the full extent of the carnage came into view. Pieces of robot lay scattered around in vast piles of twisted steel and broken circuitry. In so short a time, Yang had already racked up an incredible body count and seemed to be showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Beside her, Ren, Oobleck and even Nora seemed just as stunned to see the extent of the damage caused by their teammate's rage. With brief nods between them, the four teenagers leapt into the fray with their professional hunter following close behind. Ahead of them Yang continued to lay waste to the robotic forces of evil, ripping them limb from mechanical limb. The harsh sounds of tearing steel became a symphony under her conduction.

Around them flew a hail of bullets as the robotic warriors fought back, forcing the four young fighters to contort their bodies in all manner of directions to avoid the deadly barrage. In her mind, Blake's thoughts flew to the other teams and their dependence on the CCT being brought down, and the unthinkable cost should they fail. It was these thoughts that the faunus drew her strength and will to fight from. Silently she hoped that Jaune and his team hadn't met with the same form of difficulty, yet before she could fully consider the likelihood, she was drawn out of her thoughts by a round whistling dangerously close to her ears. She didn't have time to worry; right now all she had time to do was fight.

* * *

Yet met with it they had. Across the city, Jaune and his team clung to the walls of the tunnel to avoid a hail of hot metal flying from their foes. It was only due to Professor Goodwitch's diligence that they had avoided being peppered by small arms fire. The professor herself was leading them along the tunnel wall, shimmying ever closer to their foes who continued to send round after round down the long sewer tunnels. Each muzzle flash from their weapons temporarily blinded JSPR in the gloom of the sewer.

Shuffling on, one small step at a time, they crept along the wall. To Jaune it seemed a miracle that these highly sophisticated military war machines hadn't detected them along the walls and adjusted their fire patterns accordingly. If they had of done then there would have been nowhere for the hunters to hide. They would have been mown down without any real issues whatsoever. Shuffling along, Jaune tried to make himself as thin as possible against the tunnel wall. He could feel the thick coating of slime that the bricks had accrued over the years. It was a truly disgusting sensation as he slid effortlessly through it all without a moment's thought.

Beside him, Pyrrha seemed a lot less comfortable as the grim situation played itself out. With a wry smile, Jaune understood. Whereas he had his hoodie and armour between him and the wall slime, his partner was less fortunate. Due to the nature of Pyrrha's armour, she had no choice but to place her back against the slime coating. The look on her face was plenty to express her displeasure at the situation. It took everything that Jaune had to not laugh at the situation.

Yet before he had the chance, Goodwitch darted out towards the centre of the tunnel even as the bullets flew and whizzed past her head. With an angry look on her face that Jaune knew all too well, she raised her riding crop. Bullets stopped dead in the air, surrounded by a purple aura, even as the robotic soldiers were lifted slowly in the air. With a grimace of disgust, Goodwitch raised an open hand and balled it up into a fist in front of her. Ahead, the machinations crumpled into a tight ball of scrap metal almost instantaneously, their circuits still sparking. With an aggressive gesture, the professor cast them aside into the flowing river of detritus that moved past them. It was at that moment that Jaune got a true taste of just what Goodwitch was capable of. It scared him that she could do so much with a simple thought.

After taking brief pause to ensure that none of his team were harmed (and spending a full fifteen minutes inspecting a graze at Pyrrha's behest) their party moved on once more, albeit a lot more slowly before. As they walked, Jaune contemplated on their previous engagement and just how close that the four of them had been to death. It was certainly a sobering thought when one paused to consider it. Even more sobering was the thought of what they yet had to come, after all, they were the task force sent to capture the general. If they failed then the whole plan would fall apart and collapse, sentencing all those involved to death. Setting his jaw, Jaune was determined to stop that from happening. The only problem that he foresaw was Penny, yet with luck on their side, he knew that team BRNY would be able to knock the CCT out of commission and leave the path clear. With a final thought for their friends, Jaune followed Goodwitch once again and followed along the sewage duct, his blue eyes inspecting every inch of their surroundings for a potential trap.

* * *

Smoke hung heavy in the air as Blake and her team took a long pause, breathing heavily as though every breath might have proven to be their last. At an agonising pace, the dust began to settle and the vast clouds of smoke began to clear. Looking around, Blake soon made out the silhouettes of Ren, Nora and Oobleck. Yet, worryingly, try as she might she struggled to identify the one whom she was most scared for, Yang. She frantically turned about, her intense golden eyes searching for any signs of the brawler.

The fight had been harsh and unrelenting, unlike anything that their team had faced before. Growing up outside the kingdom, Blake had heard about the mechanical soldiers whom the kingdoms used, yet she had never truly believed just how fierce they could be in battle. The fight with the battalion had removed any shadows of doubts that she might have had. The fight itself had exhausted her physically, and drained her aura until it was a tiny sliver. Yet somehow, against the odds, they had survived. The square around them was utterly destroyed, marred by blaster burns and craters from field explosives. Even Blake and her team hadn't remained completely unharmed by the whole situation.

Blake was breathing heavily, her clothes torn and tattered where she had narrowly avoided gunfire from their enemies. Even with the help of her semblance and the shadow clones which it created, she hadn't been able to escape entirely unscathed. Rather she had taken more than a few hits per enemy that she had downed. As both Nora and Ren approached to join her with Oobleck following behind, the faunus leader saw than none of them were any better for wear than she was.

Ren walked with a pronounced limp in his left leg, blood staining his trouser leg around the mid-thigh. He walked with one arm slung around Nora's neck. Even the Valkyrie, a girl whom perpetually put on the brave face and smiled regardless of what the world threw at them, was looking down trodden. Her smile had faded into obscurity, only to be replaced with concern for her partner. As they reached their leader, the orange haired Valkyrie set Ren down and began to intently examine him for any signs of injury. Besides the two of them, Oobleck tore a strip from the bottom of his shirt and began to bandage his upper left arm where a bullet had struck home. Seeing just how much the doctor was struggling to tie it, she stepped forward to help him, her eyes darting around for any signs of her partner.

Worry and then panic began to well up within the stomach of the faunus until at last the smoke and dust cleared away entirely. It took only a matter of moments for Blake's superior eyesight to lock onto the form of her partner. Yang was lying on the very top of a heap of scrapped robots, blood dripping across her thighs. In an instant, Blake set off running, climbing the mount of robotic foes whom her partner had felled. Before long, the faunus was at Yang's side, cradling the bruised and bleeding blonde in her arms.

"Yang! Talk to me! Tell me you're okay!" The leader pleaded, looking over the blonde for any signs of life. With a great deal of relief, she saw the brawler's chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Opening her lilac eyes slowly, as though it were requiring the greatest effort of all, Yang looked up at her partner. Her face was caked in blood on one side from a long gash along one eyebrow which had seemingly been bleeding profusely at one point.

"H-hey kitty-cat." The brawler coughed with a wide grin, using a name which she knew Blake hated. "We did it, see? What did I tell you? No sweat."

"You're the one covered in blood." Blake laughed, choking back tears of relief. Every fibre of her being wanted to get furious at the blonde for having been so reckless, yet she just couldn't. Relief washed over her like cold water, clearing her head and cooling her temper.

"Eh, I've had worse when I stubbed my toe." Yang replied once again, trying to dismiss her wounds.

"Perhaps, but if so I want to know what you stubbed your toe on. Was it a nevermore or an angry Ursa?" Blake laughed again, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. "Can you walk? We still have a mission and I am _not _ leaving you behind. If I did, who knows what trouble you'd get yourself into."

Yang lay there for a moment with a thoughtful expression, assessing her condition and the likelihood of her being able to stand, let alone walk. After a few long and tense moments, the brawler nodded and with Blake's help, stood up. Together, the two partners made their way over to rejoin Nora, Ren and Oobleck, both of their teammates seemed overjoyed to see the blonde still breathing and in one piece. In fact, aside from the blood caking her face and the numerous bruises across her body, the blonde looked to be in perfectly good health.

With a nod of approval from Oobleck, their party stepped forward and into the CCT. The ground floor remained utterly deserted and dead. Leading the way, Blake went first, heading for the stairs. Carrying their wounded as they were, the team made good time up the flights of stairs. They ignored the burning sensation in their legs and merely focussed on the path ahead and the number of stairs they had left to climb to their goal. In her mind, Blake couldn't help but worry for their friends. Numerous concerns passed through her mind. What if they hadn't made it fast enough? What if JSPR had encountered Penny? What if they had been overwhelmed by the enemy?

* * *

Across the city, in the sewage tunnels and passages below Beacon, those very worst fears were becoming true. Team JSPR ran onwards, closing in on their objectives bit by bit unerringly. As the team rounded the final gradual bend in the tunnel. There was a lone figure stood alone. All that they could make out was a single set of glowing red eyes. Immediately Jaune slammed on the brakes, his feet sliding against the slick floor underfoot.

There, in front of them was the one person that they were praying not to see. With ten swords levitating with an ominous hum around her. Was Penny.

* * *

**Yep, here we are. I left the majority of the combat out of this one I know and for some of you that may well prove to be frustrating. If that is the case I do apologise. So yeah, Ironwood is a total asshole and has killed Qrow. The final stages of the tale are here. It won't be long now until I bring this one to its definitive ending. I'll try and crank out the next chapter soon-ish depending on my schedule with lectures etc. **

**Anyway, as always, if you enjoyed this please do favourite and follow. Be sure to let me know what you think of the story so far in the reviews.**

**A great many thanks for reading once again and as always I shall see you all in the next chapter.**


	29. The Great Battle of our Time

**Hello to all of you, my dear readers. I hope that you have been keeping well in the time since my last chapter. I have been working hard on this latest installment and hope that you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. I was aiming for a bit of a tone shift away from the light-hearted nature of previous chapters and on towards the darker culmination of the story arc. I would greatly appreciate it if you could let me know what you think in the reviews. However, without any further ado, I present you with the latest chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

Pyrrha felt her heart stop as her viridian eyes met with the angry red of Penny's. Fear began to grip her, holding her in place unable to move and unable to run like every fibre of her being begged her to. Even as she looked on, Jaune stepped in front of her, his hand reaching for the hilt of his ancestral sword. Just what was he doing? There was no way that the hapless blonde could possibly repel the girl if she decided to attack. He would be torn to ribbons in a matter of mere seconds without mercy. Once more she heard the desperate screams within the stadium echoing inside her head as she recalled how Penny snuffed their lives out like the fragile flame of a candle.

The ten swords hovered ominously through the air, humming quietly with malice. Out of the corner of her eye, Pyrrha saw Ruby and Weiss sidle closer to one another, their hands hovering over their respective weapons as they readied themselves for what seemed to be an imminent battle. Even Goodwitch, the most powerful huntress that Pyrrha had ever seen, seemed on edge. The professor tightened her grip on her riding crop, the skin on her knuckles turning a bright white in the gloom. Adjusting her stance slightly, Goodwitch locked her intense green eyes onto Penny, the final major hurdle before the main objective.

"Penny, stand aside. If you don't then we shall be forced to resort to viole…" The professor began to speak but was cut off as one of the ten swords whistled through the air directly towards her head. In the space of an instant, Goodwitch twisted her body to the side so as to avoid the attack. Behind them all, the sword slammed into the tunnel wall and shattered into hundreds of tiny metal fragments

"Oh I do hate it when they choose the hard way… There's always so much paperwork." The professor sighed and quickly flicked her riding crop. Behind her, the hundreds of sword fragments glowed an ominous purple and rose back into the air, reforming themselves into a long spear of shattered steel. In a fraction of a second, Goodwitch thrust her arm out and sent the spear flying straight towards their lone opponent. Around her, JSPR gathered together with both Jaune and Pyrrha's shields forming a solid wall in front of them to keep them each safe from flying debris.

Jaune watched the battle as it began to unfold, peeking over the top of his shield. The spear of broken and twisted metal flew straight and true, guided by the sheer force of Goodwitch's willpower. Yet, Penny didn't seem bothered. The psychotic fighter had a smirk upon her face which made Jaune's heart sink and his stomach tie itself in knots. It was the look of someone who had absolute confidence in their abilities. Penny simply stared on as the projectile approached. Just as it was about to strike her, she lazily flicked her hands and all nine of her remaining weapons interlocked in front of her to form a solid wall of steel.

Goodwitch's spear struck the wall with a purple flash and a brilliant burst of sparks. The shredded metal weapon broke against Penny's defences like water upon rock, not leaving so much as a dent. But Glynda never once gave up, every time her attack was broken, she would draw all the shards back and tried again. She tried every available angle but Penny only moved her shield to compensate.

As both he and his team watched on, he heard Ruby whimper behind him. Clearly, the rose was not all too fond of seeing the two unmovable forces fighting one another, and he couldn't blame her. They all knew that the fight before them would end in a death. The only real question was whether it would be Glynda or Penny that would end up biting the bullet. Before Jaune could work out who he expected to win however, he was torn from his thoughts as a strong arm gripped his arm and yanked him down behind his shield. It proved to be just in time as one of Penny's swords lashed out and buzzed through the air, smashing directly into his shield. The shock of the impact jarred his whole arm, turning it numb and driving away all feeling.

Turning to his side, he found that it was Pyrrha's hand clamped firmly around his sleeve. It was she that had saved him from losing his head. He opened his mouth to thank her but before he could utter another syllable, another impact rocked his whole body, knocking him back several inches from the force alone. The upper edge of his shield was driven squarely into his shoulder, sending lances of pain through him as it threatened to pop his shoulder out of its socket. Peeking nervously over the top of his shield again he just had time to survey the battle before being forced to duck again as a sword sailed through where his head had been.

From what he had seen, Goodwitch was beginning to tire. Her attacks grew slower and slower, Sweat beaded her forehead and her brow was furrowed deeply in concentration as she parried attacks from Penny with her spear of broken steel. From where the blonde knight was sitting, it looked as though the Professor had lost the initiative and been pressed onto the back foot again as she frantically tried to recover while still avoiding a hail of attacks from her foe. It was then that Jaune understood what he had to do. He realised that if he and his team were to stay out of the fight entirely then Goodwitch may well have been overwhelmed and killed and after that he and his team would likely follow in short order.

Knowing that he simply couldn't allow that to occur, he readied himself behind his shield and prepared to make his move. He shifted his weight so that it rested on his front foot. He would need to be fast, if he took too long then Penny would be able to pick him apart with very little trouble. Just as he made ready to run, he felt a tug on the back of his hoodie. Steadying himself, he turned around to face Ruby once again. She was looking at him imploringly, seemingly having worked out his plan. Her eyes held an expression of desperation and seemed to be begging him not to try what he had in mind. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one utterly terrified by the prospect of his poorly formed and crazy plan. He gave her a slight smile and caressed the side of her cheek with his free hand.

"Ruby… We can't just sit here like this. Professor Goodwitch needs us, I know you're scared and I am too but I need you to be strong here. I'm counting on you to cover my back okay?" he spoke softly and in a warm tone. She seemed to take a few moments to consider his words before donning her 'war face' with a mischievous grin. Beside her, both Weiss and Pyrrha seemed to draw courage from the words of their leader as they too began to prepare to attack.

"Well… I can't let an Arc outdo a Schnee now can I?" Jaune chuckled as he heard Weiss' defiant statement. Even now as they stared what seemed like certain death in the face, the heiress maintained her icy exterior.

Once more, he prepared to move. Waiting until the next sword slammed into his shield, Jaune leapt to his feet and set off at a dead sprint with a yell. Behind him he heard the footsteps of his teammates. With every step he took, he grew ever more certain that one of Penny's swords would cut him short at the legs, yet they did not, and so he kept running. Another war cry tore from his lips as he dropped his shoulder and slammed his shield into her with all of his might. To his surprise she didn't shift at all. With a loud clang, the blonde bounced straight off of her and flew into his teammates behind him, knocking them all to the ground. Just who was this girl? It had felt as though the blonde had run into a solid brick wall.

Turning to face them all on the ground, Penny advanced on them with a look of malice spreading across her face. Jaune felt fear rise up within him. His last brave effort had ended in total failure and now both he and his team would be paying the ultimate sacrifice. He could feel the three girls trembling behind him as they lay there, a pile of tangled and bruised limbs. With surprise, he found that he too was shaking with fear.

As she strode confidently towards them, the orange haired terror raised her hands. Instantly, all of her swords zipped towards her, hovering in a circle around her with all of their points angled at the teens. Just as Jaune thought that this would be the end of them all in a hail of steel, a glint caught his eye. Out of nowhere flew Goodwitch's improvised spear. It caught Penny squarely in the right side of her chest, tearing a substantial hole in her. For the first time since the battle began, Penny was knocked down and there she lay still. Climbing delicately to his feet again, Jaune made his way over to Penny to inspect the damage and check that she would no longer pose them a problem. Yet to his surprise as he looked upon the downed girl, there was no sign of blood or viscera.

She lay there with her eyes closed and a large hole torn in her chest. Through that hole, Jaune saw several wires and destroyed circuit boards. Sparks flew from the severed cables, illuminating the girl with brief flashes of light. For a long time Jaune stood in shock, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Penny… was a robot? It explained everything and yet still he felt as though he understood nothing. Why had she killed all those people? What had gone wrong? Yet even as he looked on, the robotic girl stirred and began to climb back to her feet. The fight was still on…

* * *

The interior of the CCT was darkened and silent as a crypt. There was no sign of life anymore, the lights were all shut out and the shutters drawn. The four teenagers edged their way further into the tower, making for the upper floors. Every step crunched on pieces of broken glass and shattered technology which only seemed to grow worse with each pace they took. Deciding that the elevator was likely not the safest choice, Blake opted for the stairs. Readjusting her grip on her weapon, she began up the first flight with the utmost in caution. She knew that they would need to move quickly to save as many of their comrades across the city but she simply couldn't throw caution to the wind. There was after all, no telling just what lay in store for them on the upper floors.

Every sound, no matter how slight made the faunus' ears twitch and flick irritably. Straining her hearing she kept her head on a swivel, looking for any signs of trouble. One by one they made their way up the flights of stairs. From across Vale came the sounds of combat. They were faint and nigh on impossible for the others to hear, yet with her enhanced hearing it sounded as clear as day. The battle had begun in earnest and that meant they had run out of time. Increasing the speed of her movements, the faunus renewed her efforts. Her legs were burning fiercely from the flights they had already climbed but she refused to acknowledge the ache. Instead she pushed it to the back of her mind where it couldn't bother her.

At last, their team reached the top of the tower unhindered. Pausing only for a moment to catch her breath, Blake jammed her blade into the crack between the doors and forced them open. Ignoring the sign labelled 'Authorised Personnel only' she pushed forward into the central communications room. Various desks were laid out in a circle around a central technological pillar. The pillar represented the core of the communications array. It drew in all of the communications into this central hub before running up to the transmitter at the very point of the building. This was it, their final goal. Turning to face her partner, the faunus gave a small smile.

"Yang… Would you be so kind as to do what you do best?" She asked. The brawler nodded emphatically and cracked her knuckles. Yet before she could move so much as an inch towards the array, a voice as soft and smooth as pure velvet rang out throughout the room. It was a voice which Blake had only heard once before.

"I'm sorry to break up your little party but I can't allow you to do that." Out of the depths of the room came a lone figure, dressed all in black. It was one whom Blake recognised all too well. It was the burglar from the night of the dance… It was the lone woman who had been only inches away from killing Blake herself. The faunus grit her teeth angrily.

'_No! Not now. Not when we're so close!' _Her mind begged the powers that were for any help. She knew all too well the danger that this black clad woman posed. But thankfully there were five of them and only one of her.

Adopting her fighting stance, her teammates followed her example, readying themselves for battle. Even Oobleck locked his thermos into place and prepared to fend off this new threat. Yet in the gloom, Blake could see the confident smirk on their opponent's face.

"My, my, my… Did the little kitten not learn her lesson the last time we danced?" She asked menacingly. With a fierce orange glow, two long and wicked blades formed in her hands, bathing her face in a fiery light.

* * *

Across the city, the grounds of Beacon campus came to life. Each and every one of the remaining students moved into position as cautiously as they could. Not a single one of them felt at ease. After all, they were out in the open and completely open to attack from all around. They shuffled slowly towards their first goal, the residential blocks in which they had all lived prior to the crisis beginning. Therein were imprisoned the hunters whom Ironwood had managed to capture… at least that was what the intelligence had suggested.

At the front of their pack, Ozpin led the way. To many of the students it was surprising to see their headmaster leading them anywhere. Most had assumed that his cane was used for practical purposes in aiding his mobility, and yet he seemingly had no real need for it. He ran along, low to the ground, ducking behind hedges and fences as he went. Behind him followed the free student body, their weapons drawn and their eyes scanning all around them for any signs of their enemy.

However as time went on, and they advanced deeper and deeper into the campus they saw no signs of the enemy. With every step, their wizened old headmaster seemed to grow more and more suspicious. At last, he signalled the halt and stopped stock still. His eyes narrowed and scanned across the buildings around them, peering at every window and shadow for what he was convinced would be a hidden enemy. Behind him, Cardin Winchester approached with his colossal mace in hand. Despite his past actions, the hulking teenager had proven himself to be every bit as much of a leader as his peers. He had rallied the uncertain students and strengthened their resolve time and time again throughout the night and the approach to Beacon itself. Far from the fear that many had felt for him over their time at Beacon, the students were beginning to hold him in high esteem. Even the teenager seemed to be happier in his new self, appreciating the manner in which the other students seemed to be viewing him. Ozpin himself had seen the boy's new attitude and felt a measure of pride, having judged him to be a good leader long before the proof came through.

"Professor… What's wrong? Why have we stopped?" He whispered as he approached the old headmaster. Yet before he had the opportunity to reply and explain his concerns, a sharp crack rang out, followed almost immediately by a dull thud. Before anyone knew quite what had happened, Cardin dropped to his knees and fell forward with blood trickling down his face from a new hole torn through his head. No sooner had team CRDL's leader hit the deck than a hailstorm of bullets opened up. The moment it flew over, the students scattered and dashed behind walls, hedges and statues, literally anything that offered even the slightest protection from their foes. Ozpin soon found himself ducking behind the large statue of former hunters and huntresses even as dust rounds bit into the stone sending dust and debris flying.

Panic spread through the ranks as Cardin's teammates ran up through a wall of bullets to retrieve their leader. Their fellow students opened fire upon their hidden enemies in the vain hope that they might get off a lucky shot and vanquish one of them. Russel and Dove dashed forward and grabbed their leader's arms, trying to pull him behind cover. The rest of the students watched on helplessly from whatever cover that they had managed to scramble behind. Even as they looked on a hail of rounds hit the two teens, biting into their flesh like a collection of angry mosquitoes and before long the two of them hit the ground alongside their leader, desperately clutching at their wounds in an effort to save themselves.

Ozpin watched on in utter turmoil, his stomach tying itself in knots as the consequences of his decision became clear. The forms of both the dead and dying lay out in the open, some still wailing for help, too naive to see that they were already dead. Shaking those thoughts from his head, the veteran huntsman focused on what needed to be done. Sliding his hand to the concealed trigger of his cane, the headmaster peered over the top of his cover to locate his enemies. It wasn't a difficult task. A couple of hundred yards ahead from the first floor of one of the campus' lecture buildings, he saw a line of muzzle flashes. In a single smooth motion, Ozpin took one step out and dusted off his suit. Raising his cane towards the building raining death upon them, he pulled the trigger on his cane. The pommel of it was ejected at high velocity, right towards its target.

It faded from view and for a brief moment it seemed as though it did nothing until, in a brilliant green flash, there came a titanic explosion that shook the very earth beneath them. The sheer concussive wave from the blast near enough knocked Ozpin off of his feet but the old headmaster easily weathered the storm, bowing like a slender branch in the breeze. When the smoke faded and the dust settled, there was a large pile of smoking rubble where a building had been mere moments before. It was insane to thin that for all this time, that Ozpin had been pacing such a level of firepower in his walking stick; an incredibly powerful explosive device just walking around their school. It didn't do to think what might have happened if it had gone off accidentally.

Looking over his students, he watched as they began to mill around the fallen forms of the unfortunate few. One girl was running around between them with a bag of medical supplies dong what she could to help the wounded and ease the passing of the doomed. To the headmaster it was the greatest of shames to see so many have their lives cut so painfully short in an instant, yet they had a job to do and it needed to be done. Walking slowly towards the students, he stood in the middle of them by the side of the deceased Cardin Winchester. Reaching into his pocket he took out a spare head for his cane and silently screwed it into place. Clearing his throat, the students all looked towards him.

"We cannot stop now. We have been dealt losses of a most tragic nature, but we still have a job to do and hundreds more may die if we don't complete that mission. Do not be afraid to show your sorrow, but I implore you not to let it control you. We must keep moving forward. It is not safe out in the open and I do not wish to offer our enemies the opportunity to catch us by surprise again." He spoke with an element of confidence and certainty that left the students with little option but to comply. Around him they tightened their grip on their weapons and looked to their headmaster with steely glares which burned with anger untamed. They may not have been soldiers but at that moment even the most hardened of veterans would likely have felt a little intimidated by them.

"Right, move onwards towards the dormitories and let's take back our home." He spoke again and they all nodded their assent before moving off once more, albeit with a great deal more caution than before.

* * *

Ducking, an arrow whistled through the space which Blake's head had occupied only a moment before, exploding in a searing fireball behind her as it hit one of the computer desks. It hadn't taken long for the room around them to fill with smoke from various small fires which had taken hold around the room as a result of Cinder's attacks; the smoke clung to them as they fought, burning their eyes and attacking their throats. But Cinder didn't seem to notice and continued to fight with an unflinching resolve and searing ferocity.

Deflecting another explosive arrow, Blake left a clone behind and leapt to safety even as another fireball threatened to engulf her. The faunus growled in frustration as the fight waged around her. They had been locked in battle with Cinder for near ten minutes and in that time they had struggled to lay even a finger on her. Even Oobleck with his coffee induced speed hadn't been able to so much as scratch their foe. Something needed to change and fast, or else the others would be in some serious trouble.

Frantically, her eyes scanned around the room for any solution to their current dilemma yet none presented themselves. Angrily, Blake glared at the central column; they were so close and yet so far from their objective. Fighting Cinder wasn't even a requirement so long as they could damage the main relay of the tower. But just how were they supposed to do that when they couldn't get within ten feet of it without being beaten back by arrows and explosions.

Looking over her team through the thick smoke, she could see the look of fatigue on their faces. They were at their very limits but still continued to fight doggedly against their fiery foe. Her eyes scanned over Nora and her infamous hammer Magnhild. It certainly had the destructive capabilities required to utterly destroy the tower in its entirety but they had already tried using it and failed as Cinder had kept the Valkyrie outside of its effective range. Even their attempts at using the grenade launcher had failed since Cinder had somehow managed to shoot the grenades mid-flight. If only they could put more than one into the air at once. Wait a minute…. That was it! Cursing herself for not remembering sooner, Blake turned towards the Valkyrie and bellowed one final order.

"Nora! Purple heart!"

Nora immediately turned to face her leader with a grin and nodded emphatically. Her weapon shifted into its grenade launcher form and Cinder once again prepared her bow. A look of surprised crossed her face however when the front of the grenade launcher folded down to reveal all six grenades at once. With one final maniacal laugh, Nora pulled the trigger and sent all six on their way at once. In flight they formed into a heart formation and began to branch out. Frantically Cinder began to loose arrow after arrow into the formation but her accuracy was greatly diminished in the frenzy. Even shooting three arrows at a time was a fruitless endeavour. The grenades struck the central pillar in a thunderous explosion. The shockwave alone knocked all five of them to the floor… all except Nora who stood solidly and seemingly unaffected.

Behind where Cinder had been previously stood was the pillar, only now it was far from being in a good state of repair. Rather, it had a huge blackened hole torn out of it with sparking cables hanging down like lifeless snakes. They had finally done it. But it didn't end there; Cinder took one look at the shattered column and began to climb back to her feet. Her eyes flared up angrily as she took one step towards Blake with her lip curled in a feral snarl. She didn't manage to get any further than that single step however as Yang stepped in defensively with her fist already swinging and landed a powerful right hook square in the centre of her chest. Cinder flew back with such force that she smashed through what remained of the room's central column, completely severing any remaining power to the uplink array above.

"No-one touches the kitty except me…" The brawler growled.

* * *

Failing to dodge a flying sword in time, Jaune found himself with yet another scratch upon him; this time just above his eye. Thankfully, his aura had managed to turn away the majority of the attack so the cut wasn't too deep, yet it bled profusely and stung like hell. Even as the blood worked its way into his eye and he hissed in pain, the blonde frantically raised his shield in anticipation for the next attack.

Ever since she had somehow managed to climb back to her feet again, Penny had been hounding them relentlessly with a barrage of flying steel. Not a single one of them had escaped unscathed from the onslaught and they all bore the injuries to tell the tale. Pyrrha had a series of shallow cuts criss-crossing their way across her back from a number of sneak attacks that she simply hadn't been able to dodge. Ruby's combat skirt was torn and tattered in places and she had a long and crooked cut running along her cheek. Weiss had managed to escape the majority of the attacks but had finally caught one along her side. It was a reasonably deep wound and had stained the surrounding fabric of her attire crimson with her blood.

Yet, as more and more time passed without the familiar jarring sensation of Penny's weapons slamming into his shield, Jaune began to grow suspicious. Lowering his shield ever so slightly, he peaked over the rim only to see Penny stood stock still with her head lolling forward idly. What had happened? Had she finally succumbed to the damage they had dealt to her? Or was this merely a ploy to sucker them in? Their questions were answered however when an electronic voice rang out in the tunnel, emanating from the girl.

"Connection to server lost. Rebooting unit, designation Penny."

Hearing those words, Jaune lowered his shield and approached cautiously, with his team following behind just in case things should escalate again. Penny raised her head again and opened her eyes slowly, as though adjusting to the gloom around them. The moment she laid eyes upon Ruby however, fear left Jaune's mind. All it took was a few simple words.

"Ruby my friend! It has been too long!"

* * *

**There it was. I hope that you all enjoyed reading that and are looking forward to the next chapter. Due to my pressing schedule at university, I cannot provide you with an estimate of when the next chapter will be ready but I can assure you that I shall work on it as best I can and aim to have it written and posted within the next month. Once more, I am drawing to the end of my latest work and this leaves me with the pressing question; What next?**

**That question I have decided to leave to you, the readers. You shall all decide what it is that I will write, and no I dont just man in terms of shipping. If any of you have any ideas that you would like to see become a reality then by all means throw them at me. I shall choose one of the suggestions (if I actually receive any) and that shall be the work that I write next time round.**

**As for now, please do follow and favourite the story if you liked it. Please leave your thoughts on the chapter in the reviews along with any ideas for the next fic I write.**

**Take care everyone, and I shall see you all in the next chapter. **


	30. Loves, Lives and Honour Lost

**What's this? A whole new chapter you ask? Well, yes. It has been ever so long and I really cannot apologise enough for the delay. But I am back and I have brought a whole new chapter for you. Through the weeks of writers block, university assignments and exams, I have finally managed to write an entire chapter and yknow what? I like this one... or at least the second half of it. So without any further Ado here it is, I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Jaune didn't know what to think as he eyed Penny suspiciously. Just what had happened to the mysterious metallic girl he didn't know, but he did know that until he found out he was not about to start throwing trust in her direction. In stark contrast to the blonde however, Ruby seemed absolutely thrilled that Penny seemed to have returned to her senses and was standing far closer to her than the rest of team JSPR dared to venture.

With her shoes clacking ominously against the floor of the tunnel, Goodwitch approached their former opponent turned friend and gave her a suspicious glare. Clearly, just as Jaune was, the Professor was a little bit sceptical as to Penny's nature and the sudden switch between the sides. To Goodwitch it seemed all too possible that this was some kind of a ploy to earn their trust. After all, it is much easier to eliminate a threat if it believes that it is on the same side as the killer. As such, the Professor maintained a very tight grip on her riding crop, just in case she should need to use it again. It would be dirty work, but Goodwitch would have no qualms in destroying Penny in her entirety should she pose any kind of threat to the students.

"Penny, what happened to you? You killed a lot of people…" Ruby asked, a solemn and saddened expression upon her features. Upon hearing those words, Penny herself looked as though she had been slapped. Shock played heavily in her eyes. It was easy to see that were she human, the orange haired automaton would have had tears in her eyes.

"I-I know… but it wasn't me, at least not the real me. I saw it all happening in front of me but I was powerless to stop it. It was like a dream, but one that I couldn't wake up from. I didn't want to kill anyone but something within me changed, it was like there was an unstoppable force moving my body all on its own… It was terrible…" Penny replied, her voice low and sombre. Listening to her speak, Jaune couldn't help but sympathise with her. To be a prisoner in one's own body must have been a terrible and horrifying experience. Regardless of his suspicions of her, Jaune could see that Penny felt truly bad about what she had wrought. It was clear as day in her eyes.

"But what happened? Who was it that was in control of you Penny if not you?" Goodwitch asked, presenting the voice of reason into the deliberations; an action which Weiss clearly appreciated given the look on her face.

"I'm not entirely sure, it was a virus uploaded into the transmission systems between the kingdoms. When the signal was lost, so was all trace of the Virus. But if my memory banks are correct then it was-" the robotic girl stopped dead, her face contorted with shock as she finished her sentence "General Ironwood…"

"So he really _was_ the one responsible…" Goodwitch stated rhetorically "I suppose I should have known. The general always did have an insatiable sense of ambition and an uncontrollable lust for power. But for him to have fallen so far from grace is almost impossible to believe."

The six of them stood in silence for a long while, each of them processing the information that they had just been given. Now that it was established beyond any shadow of a doubt, their next move had become clear. They had to find Ironwood and stop him… perhaps kill him if necessary. But as they came to this conclusion one by one, none of them dared say it aloud. It was Goodwitch who was the first to move, taking a few steps down the tunnel before turning to face them all. Shivers ran down the spines of Jaune, Weiss, Pyrrha and Ruby alike as they saw the rage burning within the Professors eyes.

'_No betrayal hurts like that of an old friend…'_ Pyrrha mused, feeling fear well up inside of her at the sight.

"Students… We know what we have to do. Penny, feel free to accompany us. I understand that you may wish to have some words with the General and we may need your help when we arrive at Beacon. But I promise you this; if I feel that you present any kind of threat to these students, I will not hesitate to destroy you. Is that clear?" Goodwitch spoke with a cold air of authority, unquestionable and firm. Penny nodded the affirmative and the six of them set off down the tunnel again, drawing ever closer to their goal and an end to the fighting.

As time drew on, and with every step bringing them closer to the campus of Beacon Academy, the evidence for the battle raging above ground became clearer and clearer. They each heard the muffled sounds of explosions and felt the ominous rumble which accompanied them. Yet they had no time to think about the battle in which their comrades were fighting, instead, they were forced to focus on their own running battle. As it turned out, having Penny along had proved invaluable to them. She knew where and when their enemy were posted and more often than not, she had been able to deal with them with minimal effort.

Goodwitch led the way at a furious pace, seemingly pouring herself into the task and wanting to get to their objective as soon was as humanly possible. Her numerous wounds were quickly forgotten in her single-minded determination to find Ironwood and remove him as a problem. Her aura wrapped itself around her as they ran, giving off a low purple light and a dull hum. Everything about her appearance served to show that standing against her would have been a suicidal endeavour.

Finally at long last and after what had seemed to be an eternity in the gloom of the underground, they reached their destination. Goodwitch stopped beside a ladder up to the surface and gave them some time to gather themselves before leading the way. She climbed the ladder and slowly lifted the cover a tiny bit, peering around for any signs of their enemies. Not having seen any, she shifted the manhole cover off to the side and climbed out to find herself in the courtyard at the foot of Ozpin's tower.

The sunlight was blinding to the six of them as they emerged from the bowels of the earth, their eyes needing time to adjust after their lengthy stint in the sewage tunnels underneath Vale. The courtyard itself was utterly deserted, any troopers likely having been called away to the battle raging across the campus. Gunfire and explosions echoed their way around the columns as Ozpin's group fought to keep their distraction alive.

Making their way around the base of Ozpin's tower, the six of them approached the main doors and entered the building to find the foyer completely deserted. There were signs of struggle everywhere throughout the room, as papers were scattered all over the floor and the artworks lay on the floor torn and tattered. It was a long shot from the illustrious room that it had been only a few short days before. To Jaune it was a shame to see everything torn apart and left in ruins, all for the sake of a single man's ambitions. It was a waste.

Moving forward into the room, their group made for the elevator. Calling it down, the elevator rumbled and screeched in its shaft as it made its way to them, lacking in the maintenance that it usually received. As the doors creeped open, Jaune could feel something welling up inside him, a sense of foreboding. It was a strong feeling which manifested itself in the base of his stomach and refused to budge. Somehow, he just knew that something was going to go wrong. Something which none of them had any power to stop.

They entered the small elevator and punched in the number for the top floor. Immediately, the doors closed and the elevator began to haul itself up to what had once been the brain centre for the whole of Beacon's campus; Ozpin's office. To Jaune it seemed arrogant that the General would impose himself over all of Vale from the office of the old headmaster, almost as if Ironwood had done it to satisfy his own sense of envy. Their ascent to the top of the tower crept by at an agonisingly slow pace, giving each of the elevator's occupants time to mull over the fight which seemed to be inevitably heading their way. One thing was for certain, it was not one which they were looking forward to by any stretch of the imagination.

* * *

Across the campus from Ozpin's tower, the tides of the battle had turned. Having fought their way through to the residential blocks, the battered band of huntsmen and huntresses in training had finally managed to free their compatriots; including a number of fully fledged and professional hunters. Gathering what armaments they could from the destroyed remains of the defeated robotic soldiers, those reinforcements had helped immensely in the fight. With a new wave of fresh fighters, the pressure on those who had been fighting since the beginning had begun to ease.

Their group had battled their way across the campus, cutting a swathe through their enemy even once ammunition had run dry and they were down to fighting hand to hand. Teams like CFVY and the remaining members of CRDL had proven to be invaluable in rallying the other students before each push. Seeing row after row of robotic soldiers being blown to pieces by Coco's gargantuan chain gun had proven to be invaluable for morale as it served as a constant, powerful reminder that this robotic enemy could be defeated.

Metre by metre, their group pushed further and further into the campus wiping out droves of the automated soldiers as they went. Either by the sword or a hail of lead, the pockets of resistance were steadily crushed one by one, leaving a trail of torn metal and scrap electronics in their wake. But no victory comes without sacrifice; even as the enemy was being destroyed in vast numbers, so too were the huntsmen suffering losses of their own. For every courtyard, building or hallway that they cleared, they would lose some of their own.

Behind them, among the scrap metal and scorched earth of each battle were left both the dead and wounded from their own ranks. It seemed as though every few hundred feet, a new aid station would be established in the interests of seeing their wounded treated so that they might return to the battle where possible. Those who suffered more severe wounds were pulled back far behind the lines and dealt with as best as possible with the materials which the medics had. All across Beacon, the cries and groans of the wounded could be heard, forming a disturbing dirge which filled the air.

Finally, after hours of fighting in the grounds of the academy, the huntsmen managed to push into the courtyard surrounding Ozpin's tower. It was here that their robotic enemy opted to make its final stand. As the bullets whistled back and forth, tearing into both metal and flesh alike with the same degree of rabid hunger, Ozpin watched on. He found it incredible to see that his students, individuals who had only just begun their training would fight with such a level of ferocity. Everywhere he looked he saw them tearing into their opponents without mercy, their rage against the machines unparalleled by any battle throughout the annals of time. It was a shame to him, that the young people before him had so soon been stripped of their innocence, left bereft of their childhood and forced into a war beyond their control or reckoning.

Yet even as he watched on, he became aware of a new presence. Turning around he was met with the sight of one of his task forces. Into view came Oobleck and Blake, followed in close order by the rest of team Burgundy. In their arms, they dragged the limp form of what appeared to be a young woman. The five of them approached the old headmaster and dropped their captive at his feet. Raising an eyebrow, Ozpin looked at them inquisitively, anticipating the explanation as to who this woman was and why they had brought her before him.

"Oz, we got to the CTT and took out the relay system thanks to some quick thinking by Miss Belladonna and Miss Valkyrie. However we were given a lot of trouble by this woman here. Cinder Fall is her name, that is all we managed to get out of her, but I am led to believe that she is one of the co-conspirators for the attack on Vale." Oobleck explained, speaking at what seemed to be a hundred miles an hour as usual. Yet before the headmaster could reply, another young huntsman trotted over and interrupted.

"Professor, we have crushed the last of the enemy resistance. Your path to the tower is clear." He said dutifully before pausing to await further orders.

"That was excellent work, thank you. Inform the other students that they are to establish a defensive perimeter around this courtyard while team Burgundy and I head inside to confront the General and demand his surrender. Keep alert; we don't know if there are any more of them around. Whatever happens though, you must hold this courtyard." Ozpin ordered, leaving the huntsman to dash off and relay the message. Dumping Cinder with a contingent of seasoned hunters, Ozpin, Oobleck and team Burgundy crossed the courtyard and entered the tower.

* * *

To the end of his days, Jaune would swear that the trip to Ozpin's office that day was the longest he had ever endured. His stomach churned far worse than it ever had during air travel. The whole way up, he and his team were under a blanket of uneasy silence, with the metallic screeching of the elevator being the only break. After five minutes of ascent, the doors finally slid open to reveal Ozpin's office.

Very little seemed to have changed within the office. The vast and complex system of cogs continued to turn just as they always had and likely always would. As one by one they exited the elevator, Goodwitch began to look around suspiciously, her eyes darting around as though she might have expected some kind of trap or ruse. Yet none came. It wasn't long before they had spotted him, the man of the hour and the greatest threat that Vale had known in decades, General Ironwood.

The middle aged general was sat in Ozpin's high-backed chair, staring out of the windows at the battle which raged far below them across the campus. Drawing their weapons, team JSPR approached cautiously as if expecting a sudden charge from the criminal, yet none came. He sat in the chair, completely motionless and seemingly unaware of their presence. But he was, and quite unexpectedly, he began to speak.

"It's wrong, isn't it? That the old and powerful should sit in their ivory towers while the youth march to their deaths in the name of a cause. Just how many had to die for you to be here Glynda? How many have you and Oz sent to their deaths?" He spoke slowly, his voice sounding sombre and almost regretful.

"They wouldn't have died if you hadn't pulled such a stunt James. You brought your armada to Vale, and against my better judgement I followed Ozpin's leadership and trusted you. Just why did you do it? Why betray us, the people you once named friend?" The Professor replied, her eyes having replaced their anger with an expression of disappointment.

"Betrayal?!" The General bellowed, turning his chair to face them and slamming his balled fists down against the desk "Glynda you speak of betrayal yet you know nothing of its nature! Ozpin took everything that I ever wanted from me. Everything I have ever set my sights on I have achieved, save for one thing; you. I command one of the largest armed forces on the face of the planet, am headmaster of perhaps the most prestigious hunter academies yet I would trade it in in an instant for you."

He spoke like a man possessed, yet the more he said, the more outraged that Goodwitch seemed to become. Her hands trembled at her side and her fist curled so tightly around her riding crop that her knuckles turned almost pure white.

"You mean to tell me, that you started a war, plunged the streets into chaos and killed untold hundreds if not thousands of deaths… because you were jealous?! Just what were you hoping to achieve James? That after the world had been reduced to ashes that I would run to your side in a moment of romantic passion and profess my undying love for you?" She snarled "I am a huntress, a woman sworn to protect the innocent and uphold the laws of the realm. It is in honour of that oath that I, Glynda Goodwitch huntress of Vale, am placing you, James Ironwood, under arrest. You have the option to come quietly or by force, either way works for me. You are to be imprisoned to await trial for the charges of high treason against the kingdom of Vale and crimes of war. What say you?"

By now, Goodwitch was seething. As she summarised his crimes and the reasons for them, it only served to drive home just how futile everything had been; so much death and all of it because Ironwood had struggled with a jealousy complex against Ozpin?

"General… is this true?" A soft voice asked, layered with a mixture of horror, disgust and shock. It was the voice of Penny. The android stepped forward from her position at the back of the group and into the light, her circuitry sparking through the wounds that she had sustained. At the sight of her, Ironwood recoiled a little, clearly shocked at the damage that she had sustained.

"Penny… What happened to you? Why have you brought them here?" He demanded, though his tone was much weaker and uncertain than it had been previously.

"These are my friends General. They have reset my system, after a… regrettable engagement in the tunnels beneath the city and have graciously allowed me to join them in bringing peace back to this city. You told me when we came here, that nobody would be hurt as a part of what you had planned. Yet Ruby's team have told me the things that you made me do… Father would never have consented to let me come here if he had have known what you were going to do." Ironwood simply stared dumbfounded as Penny spoke, the foundations of his power were crumbling away right before his eyes and he seemed to know it.

"Your plans have failed James. Come quietly and we can avoid any more bloodshed. Your allies are either dead or long gone, what can you hope to achieve by standing against us now? Give up, turn yourself in and I promise that you will receive a fair trial; though I can't imagine that the other kingdoms will be so kind once they are informed of your actions. Do you really think that Atlas will support you? They will look out for their own interests just as they always have, and where does that leave you." Goodwitch said, somehow managing to suppress her anger and speak calmly. But the General made no move to surrender, instead he merely laughed. It was a cold and joyless laugh which sent shivers racing up and down Jaune's spine as he knew that things were about to go south… and very quickly.

"Glynda you always did have a good sense of humour, once you broke through that cold disciplinarian shell of yours. Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because my plans have failed and my army destroyed that I will simply surrender myself to you. A fair trial? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You and I both know that there will be nothing fair about any trial which you might send me before. You may as well execute me now than send me through such a theatrical farce as that trial. So, to answer your question Glynda Goodwitch the Huntress, I will not be going anywhere with you." With that he cast off his long coat. Goodwitch eyed him cautiously as he stepped over to Ozpin's desk and began to remove the medals which were pinned to his chest. One by one he unpinned them and set them down with the utmost of care, ensuring that they were flat and neatly presented.

Both team Jasper and Penny stepped up beside the Professor. They had their weapons drawn and hard set glares on their faces. Goodwitch smiled slightly to herself, secretly glad to know that she wasn't to face Ironwood alone. Though he may have committed countless atrocities and murdered hundreds, Glynda simply couldn't escape the fact that Ironwood had one been a friend to her. In their younger days the two of them had been rather close, that was until she had opted to follow Ozpin rather than taking up residence in Atlas with James. She couldn't help but wonder just how different things might have been if she had made the other choice.

Her deliberations were interrupted by the cold rasp of steel being drawn. Ozpin stood before them, bereft of his decorations with his Naval Officer's sword in hand. The blade was thin and elegant, a full three feet of tempered steel. The guard was of polished brass with the Atlesian royal seal stamped upon it and formed a protective dome over the front of his hand. The sword came to an end with an elaborate brass pommel in the shape of a snarling Lion's head.

"It has been some time since I have drawn _Harbinger_ in anger, yet I can assure you that her blade is just as sharp as it ever was. Very well, I am ready, let us bring an end to this." He said solemnly, an air of calm about him where there ought to have been one of guilt or even fear. He held the weapon firmly in his right hand and stood there, seemingly waiting for someone to make the first move. Jaune kept an eye firmly fixed on the blonde professor as he waited for the signal, any sign that the fight had begun. Both he and his team were prepared. Yet just as Goodwitch twitched and was about to attack the elevator door opened once again to reveal Ozpin himself, accompanied by team Burgundy and Bartholomew Oobleck. An air of disquiet once again settled over the room as the greying professor stepped out of the elevator and into what had, until recently, been his office.

"I see that you have made yourself quite at home in here James." He stated flatly, his eyes fixed on the General.

"Ozpin! How very… nice… of you to finally join us. I have been watching your escapades across the campus from here. Very good indeed, I see that you haven't lost that tactician's mind of yours in all the years that you have sat gathering dust high up here in your tower." The general replied maliciously.

"And I see that after all of these years and all of your successes, your ambition and lust for power hasn't in any way diminished. Look at yourself James, you have invaded and occupied an innocent kingdom through low tricks and fraternising with criminals. What happened to you? In our younger days you were always a man of honour, yet here you are cowering in a stolen office and threatening children. I don't believe that you could have sunken any further if you had tried." The headmaster said with a disappointed sigh.

"Honour? How can you have the audacity to stand there and preach to me about honour after all that you have done?" Ironwood growled, a vein bulging in the middle of his forehead "Why did you do it Oz? I was young and in love and you stole her away from me!"

"Stole her? James, just listen to yourself, these words you are saying are beyond foolish! I didn't steal her away from anyone. I offered her the choice of working with me at Beacon to help prepare those who would later defend the weak, and she chose to do so. It was her choice, not mine. Just as it was your choice to senselessly attack Vale and murder the women and children therein!"

"Enough!" James bellowed, his voice was so loud that the tower seemed to shake with the force of it. "You have not come here simply to bandy meaningless words about. We are men of action Oz, and the only way that we are going to settle this is by action with cold and honest steel in hand."

Ozpin sighed and took his weight off of his cane and, to the surprise of the students present, he flicked a switch and the weapon seemed to come alive. It clicked and whirred mechanically as its once round form shifted into that of a simple rapier. It was the blade of a dualist and of a similar length to _Harbinger_ yet it was distinctly Ozpin. The sword itself was simple and unadorned, with the pommel being a simple orb. Its handle was of a simple wood, wrapped in worn black leather. The only distinguishing mark was a trio of cogs, engraved into the flat of its blade, an inch below the cross-guard.

Seeing Ozpin draw his weapon, the students lowered their own, confident in the headmaster's ability to handle the general yet equally curious to watch the two headmasters fight. It seemed like a matchup of near biblical proportions, the power-hungry general duelling with the stoic professor of Beacon. Yet Goodwitch didn't look so enthused by the prospect. She stepped forward defensively, her eyes filled with concern for the old headmaster as well as a brief glint of what Jaune judged to be affection.

"Oz… You don't have to fight him alone. There are enough of us here that we can subdue him. To duel him alone would be too risky. Please."

"Glynda." He said turning to her with a slight smile "In all the years that we have known one another, it is only now that you have worked up the courage to show the depth of your feelings. You have been my most trusted advisor and valued companion all of these years, but you know just as well as I do that this is the way that things must be. He is right; James and I must face one another here and now to decide the fate of Vale."

Goodwitch's face shifted to a slight red at the warmth and fondness in his words. She looked down for a moment, considering the meaning within before stepping forward and surprised all of those present by lightly kissing Ozpin on his cheek.

"For luck…" She said, almost shyly "Just… Please be careful."

Ozpin nodded with another smile before turning back to face the general. His fingers tightened around the leather on the hilt of his rapier and he raised it in salute to the general, a mark of respect between duellists whom know that one is about to die. Across from him the General stood scowling yet mirrored the action, the cold steel _Harbinger_'s blade gleaming fiendishly in the light of the office. Both blades swished through the air as the salute ended and the two fighters took up their duelling stances.

Ozpin took a steadying breath and prepared himself, going over the basics of duellist combat. He straightened his back and squared his shoulders, sliding one foot a little in front of the other. Jaune could hear Weiss humming in appreciation at Ozpin's form, impressed at the precision that the wizened older man seemed to be demonstrating.

At the opposite end of the Office, Ironwood had adopted a completely different stance. He was stood almost square on with _Harbinger_ held loosely down at his side. His feet were shoulder width apart and to most people watching it might have been interpreted that he had left his guard down, yet Weiss knew the stance well. He was hoping to goad Ozpin into a premature strike, yet in reality Ironwood was a coiled viper, ready to strike at a moment's notice. His knees were bent and his eyes analytical. He was calmly assessing Ozpin for any weaknesses that he might exploit.

Goodwitch edged back from the two fighters until she and the students were all back against the office wall. Her eyes were fixed firmly on Ozpin and Jaune knew from the look on her face that she was looking at his stance in a way that only a combat instructor can. Ruby turned to the disciplinarian with a frightened expression on her face.

"Professor… Ozpin is going to win isn't he? He wouldn't agree to fight the General if he couldn't, right?" Her little voice was full of an innocence which only the young can possess.

"I don't know Ruby…" Goodwitch sighed, turning to look down at the little rose with equal parts worry and fear in her eyes. "Ozpin hasn't fought properly in a great many years. He has kept in loose practice, but his days fighting both the Grimm and criminals in Vale are long passed. There is no guarantee that he will be able to best the General… But if I know Ozpin he will sure as dust try…"

It was not the most reassuring speech, yet the tone of her voice suggested an air of confidence. Clearly she believed in the headmaster's abilities and to Ruby that meant that she should too.

"Give it your best Professor Ozpin!" She cheered confidently, her voice rising clear and sharp in the otherwise quiet office.

"Break his legs!" Nora cried with her usual ferocity.

"Give him one for Qrow!" Yang yelled. Her voice seethed with rage as her burning red eyes beheld the man responsible for her uncle's death.

"For Vale Ozpin... and all those in it" Oobleck said in an oddly calm manner.

Ozpin smiled to himself, glad to know that the students and his colleague were behind him. It gave him a newfound strength in his heart, a strength that one can only find in the knowledge that others are depending on them. He took a calming breath and kicked off, sending a slash at the General's chest, aiming to rend him from shoulder to hip. In an instant Ironwood had reacted, raising he blade to catch his long-time rival's.

'_So it has begun.' _Ozpin mused, pushing against the General _'Once again men shall dance the dance of death.'_

* * *

** So there it is, I hope you enjoyed it. This does mean that there is yet another chapter to this story before I finally bring it to its conclusion. It got a little dialogue heavy towards the end there but I really enjoyed writing the interactions between Goodwitch, Ozpin and Ironwood. I like to think of Goodwitch and Ozpin as being in a relationship which neither acknowledge aloud but it is invaluable to them both.**

**As always if you liked this, please do follow and favourite so as not to miss out of the final chapter. Hit me up with reviews and let me know what you think and as awlways, I have been TheFlagshipArkos and I will see you all in the next chapter! (Hopefully soon)**


	31. The End of the Beginning

**Hello everyone and welcome back for the final chapter of this tale. It has been a long road with a lot of stress and writer's block thrown in. This chapter was an absolute pain in the arse to write since I had to tie up all the loose ends but I think I have one final surprise for you all that you will enjoy. So without further ado I present the end of all things.**

* * *

It seemed to take an eternity, as the two rivals stared one another down. Ironwood's cold blue eyes were locked angrily onto Ozpin's own. Neither of them moved so much as a muscle as the two of them stared the other down. An eerie silence settled over the room oppressively leaving its occupants uncomfortable and unwilling to break the silence. Yet something had to give, and soon.

It was Ironwood who broke the stalemate, launching himself forward with a ferocious growl and lashing out with _Harbinger_ in a savage strike designed to rend Ozpin in two. The blow was met with a metallic clang and a shower of sparks as Ozpin managed to raise his own sword to meet it. The old headmaster reeled a little behind the force of the blow and was knocked off-balance, stumbling a few steps back. The General didn't relent though and gave chase, slashing at his rival in a jealous rage.

Step by step, Ozpin was pushed back. He was forced onto the defensive, unable to counter Ironwood's vicious onslaught. Goodwitch watched on with an expression of complete helplessness, her breaths hitching every time that the two blades clashed. As he watched her Jaune could see a recognisable look in her eyes, a strong desire to help the one she cared about yet also the acknowledgement that she couldn't. As the fight wore on, the pained expression on Glynda's face seemed only to deepen more and more.

As the minutes wore on, the fight began to take turn after turn for the worse. Ozpin was completely outmatched by his opponent and it showed on his face. The headmaster's teeth were gritted against one another with the strain of deflecting Ironwood's attacks, and a large blood stain had formed high on his left arm were the General had gifted him with _Harbinger_'s bite. The steel of its blade had been icy cold as it bit into his flesh greedily, splitting his skin like an over-ripened fruit. It had taken all that he had not to groan out in pain, but the wizened old man wouldn't give his enemy the satisfaction.

Ozpin fought back as best as he could against ever more unfavourable odds. He parried and slashed back at the General with all the strength that he could muster. As time passed by, and the two slashed and lunged at each other, they both accrued a greater collection of cuts and scratches. Before long, their clothes were tattered and stained red with blood until even the General's once pristine appearance was besmirched with the grime of battle.

"I see that you have lost none of your ability over the years James, you always were an excellent fighter. I think your military upbringing leant itself to your style." Ozpin managed to pant, even as their blades locked in a fountain of brilliant white and blue sparks.

"I wish I could say the same Oz." The General spat back "You've turned into an old man over the years. An old man far beyond his prime with one foot well and truly in the grave. Still, it will be my pleasure to help you along on your way."

With that, the General wrenched their swords off to one side in a vicious circle and danced away. He took the briefest of moments to recuperate before lunging forward again, attacking like a man possessed. The bright blade of his sword was slick with the crimson of his opponent's blood, evidence of his dominance throughout the fight. _Harbinger_ hummed maliciously as it sliced through the air over and over, seeking to bury itself deep within Ozpin's body. Up, down, left and right; over and over these were the patterns that Ozpin followed, barely raising his sword in time to block _Harbinger's_ cold edge from rending his flesh.

To Ozpin it felt as though every blow grew heavier, and harder to withstand. His wiry arms felt like lead as the fatigue of their fight began to set in. He may have been a huntsman once, but the years sat behind his desk had taken their toll on him physically. He was much slower than he had been, and his endurance was greatly diminished. It had been a great many years since he had last seen active duty and even longer since he had actually drawn his rapier in anger. The General it seemed had never stopped training, no doubt a side effect of his military lifestyle and apparent burning lust for revenge.

The stoical headmaster slammed into one of his bookcases with a hiss of pain as Ironwood closed again for an especially heavy attack. Before he could react, the General's fist closed around the front of his jacket and threw him clean across the room, slamming him into the opposite wall. His rapier flew from his hand as he slumped down against the wall. Across the room, Ironwood seemingly sensed his victory at hand and began to slowly cross the office towards Ozpin. Every one of his foot falls sounded like end of the world as his heavy boots boomed across the room.

"I knew that it would come to this Oz, ever since you stole her from me. I have lain awake at night dreaming of this moment and now my time of retribution is at hand. You may have turned Glynda against me this time, but there is no one who can save you now." James explained in a voice that practically oozed confidence. He towered over the downed headmaster, the icy steel of his sword glinting with a crimson light as blood dripped from the tip of its blade. The General seemed to savour the moment; after all, everything had gone exactly according to plan.

Yet then something happened which the General hadn't expected. A second set of feet tapped against the floor as Penny emerged from the group of students huddled against the wall and positioned herself firmly between Ironwood and his intended victim. She had a fierce look on her face, and her green eyes seemed to burn with contempt for her former ally. She stood with her legs shoulder width apart, the wounds that she had sustained still sparked ominously.

"General I don't think that you should do that. You have fed me lie after lie and now I'm going to put a stop to it, do you hear me? You have already killed countless numbers of innocents, and I will not let you kill another. Professor Ozpin isn't the one who deserves to die for what he has done, that honour is extended solely to you. My protocols are riddles with knowledge of, and reverence for, the laws of the kingdoms and I don't think that there is a single law which you have yet to break. As my programming demands, I am to stop you and turn you into the local authorities if possible. By force if necessary." She said sternly.

"Penny… I am the General in charge of the Atlas military? What makes you think that anything you say will change my mind? You are a machine, created solely for the purpose of replacing real and valued people on the battlefield. You are mere Grimm fodder, and you dare to question me?" He replied in shock, seemingly caught off guard by what he saw as Penny's insolence.

"That is not true." Penny replied, looking over at Ruby with a slight smile "Just because I have bolts and metal inside of me instead of squishy guts, it doesn't make me any less of a person than those around me. I am worth something, to my friends if not to tyrannical monsters like you. It is for their sake that I will stand against you General. For their sakes and for the rest of the innocents whose lives you threaten." With that, the remaining swords rose out of her back and floated around, pointing at the General viciously.

Goodwitch made to step forwards and intervene, but a steely look from Penny soon put flight to the idea. Looking on helplessly, Goodwitch backed up again to stand amongst the students. After all, it wasn't as though Penny were strictly a normal girl. She had battled against four hunters and huntresses in training as well as one fully fledged huntress and only lost by a hair. With those statistics in mind, it wasn't hard to imagine her utterly destroying Ironwood without a moment's notice or a second thought.

Yet even as she looked over the small automaton, her bright green eyes perceived the damage which Penny had already received and while Glynda may not have been the best when it came to robotics, it seemed fairly obvious that numerous holes cuts and scrapes to a Robot's exterior casing was not a positive at all. In fact, it left what seemed to be vital electronics open to the General should he wish to exploit them.

"Now Penny, are you sure that you want to do this? Is this what your father would want, you turning on your own people instead of those whom are allied against us? What kind of harsh cruelty is it that he should live to see his proudest creation betray both him _and_ everything that he stood for?" The General spoke in a soft tone of more disappointment than rage. For a brief moment, the look on Penny's face seemed to switch to one of regret and perhaps even embarrassment. Her swords drooped a little behind her and lost their intimidating edge as the General took a slow and cautious step forward. Penny's eyes darted between the floor and Ironwood both as she tried to work out the dilemma which he had laid before her. Step by step the General drew nearer and nearer until he was stood just in front of her.

He reached out with his free hand and gently caressed her freckled cheek. For a long moment his face bore an expression of what might have been love before, in an instant, he drew back his hand and punched her straight through the chest as easy as if Penny had been made of paper. From a new hole torn in her back the General's hand protruded, some form of electrical core clutched tightly in his hand, the now disconnected wires sparking ominously. All light seemed to have vanished from Penny's eyes, the pupils having grown large and dilated as her optical systems shut down for the last time. Even as he watched on, Jaune found himself wondering; _'will she dream?'_

The General smirked almost proudly and tore his hand back out of the deceased robot's chest. He dropped the core onto the floor of the office with a loud clang. Slumped against the wall, Ozpin looked up with sorrow in his eyes as Penny's limp mechanical form collapsed into a heap. Before either of the fighters could as much as move, there was a roar of such sorrow and grief that the world had never seen before. It was followed by a series of mechanical clicks and whirs which Jaune knew only too well.

Before he could stop her, Ruby had unsheathed and unfurled crescent rose and leapt at the General with a war cry of such ferocity that even the mightiest of men would have reconsidered their life choices and run for the hills. Yet with her semblance activated, Ironwood never got the chance to react. The cruel and curved blade of her scythe met with his arm, a little above the elbow and with the sound of tearing metal took it clean off. It landed to the floor a short distance away with a crash but Ruby wasn't satisfied there and used the wall to her advantage. Shoving off with both feet, she slammed into the general again, driving the bladed point on the haft of her weapon through the right side of his chest. The sheer momentum of the attack knocked the two of them back, allowing Ruby to firmly pin her opponent to the wall by driving her weapon through and deep into it.

"N-not bad little rose…" Ironwood coughed after a moment, leaving the whole room wondering just how he was still alive. The General raised his arm to look at the now stump where his elbow had once been. Once more the crackling of electricity filled the air as his tattered sleeve fell back to reveal complex wiring, similar to that in Penny.

'_Oh come on! Is there anyone in Atlas that isn't entirely or at least part robotic!?' _Jaune wondered with a groan.

Ruby growled again, her eyes burning in a way which rivalled only her sister's as she slammed her booted foot into the General's jaw. He must have felt it, since his sword flew from his hand as part of the shock. She kicked him a few more times for good measure before he seemingly recovered. Leaning in right next to him, her face a mere inch from his and loathing in her eyes, the little rose spoke. Her voice had an unusual quality which Jaune had never heard from her before, a certain edge.

"It's over General. Looks like the good guys finally won. I know that this isn't the happy ending that we were all hoping for, too many good people have died for that to ever be the case, but there is some good news in that you will be tried and found guilty. You will be punished for each and every one of your crimes both here and in the next life, and I hope that when you get to whatever hell you are sent, they never let you forget the names of the ones you killed, or the ones who stopped you." She growled. The whole while Ironwood listened to her speak with the same amused smirk on his face, as though the whole world were simply one big joke that only he could see and understand.

With a slight chuckle he twitched and darting his free hand out, he made to strike her, and would have succeeded had Goodwitch not taken action. His balled fist stopped dead, not an inch from Ruby's face, wreathed in a purple aura. Stood beside Jaune, Goodwitch was poised, an angry expression on her face.

"Ruby Rose, how many times must I bail you out of trouble when you are battling wanted criminals? This is just like our first meeting all over again… Will you never learn?" With a slight smirk at Ruby, who stood agape next to the General, Goodwitch flicked her riding crop. Ironwood's arm immediately folded back on itself at the elbow with a series of loud snaps as cartilage, tendons and even bone snapped in an instant. Ironwood gave a long and drawn out cry of pain as every nerve in James' elbow came alive and shrieked their warnings at him at a fevered pitch. Curse after curse sprang from his lips in a nasty train of syllables which brought shock to even Goodwitch's face. That was until she stepped forward and punched him on the jaw, knocking him unconscious and silencing the tirade of abuse.

The students in the room gave a collective sigh of relief, glad that their ordeal against the general was over. Yang, however, didn't seem quite so relieved. The blonde took a few slow and deliberate steps forward, until she was stood beside her sister. Tears were welling up within her eyes as she glared at the unconscious form of James Ironwood. With that look in mind she spat on him, a final statement of her opinions it seemed.

Ruby gave her sister a look of shock and a questioning glance. Clearly she was hoping for some form of an explanation from her older sister, yet none were forthcoming. Reaching out a hand, the tiny rose placed it on the brawler's shoulder and was surprised to find it trembling, though whether it was suppressed rage or sorrow she couldn't tell. With her silver eyes softening, Ruby gave Yang the best smile that she could muster given the situation, it was weak and offset by the tears in her eyes.

"Y-Yang… what's wrong…?" She asked, her voice was cracked and broken after all that had happened. Yang looked at her then, her lilac eyes were filled with tears in a way which Ruby hadn't seen for a great many years. She opened her mouth to speak and yet no sound came out, clearly there was something which she needed to say and yet there were no words which she could find to say it.

Goodwitch knew the expression of loss all too well and could sense what was to come. She ushered the remaining students back into the elevator and sent them down to the base of the tower. With the help of Oobleck, she tentatively pulled Ozpin to his feet before sending him down in the elevator as well. When she returned the final time to retrieve Ironwood in order to transport him away for incarceration, she found the damage already done.

Ruby had collapsed to her knees, her arms hanging limply by her sides and the tears falling freely, leaving glistening trails across her cheeks. He light was gone from her silvery eyes and Goodwitch knew that it would be some time before it would return to them again. Yang was in a similar state, on her knees with her arms wrapped tightly around her half-sister, clutching at her cape in anger at the loss of their uncle.

Taking slow steps over to the duo, Glynda crouched down beside them. Her brilliant green eyes had lost their usual edge, and when she spoke her voice was calm and soothing.

"Girls…Doctor Oobleck told me about Qrow, you have all of our condolences and support for as long as you need it. If there is anything that you need, please don't hesitate to ask. Qrow and I may not have seen eye to eye of very many things but I could tell that he was a good man at heart, and one who selflessly devoted himself both to his job and to the kingdom of Vale. He will be sorely missed by all of us and it seems unlikely that the world will ever see another like him." Glynda was surprised at just how easily the words came to her as she spoke. Qrow and she rowed and argued time and time again over the smallest and largest of issues and yet, over her lengthy career working with him she was surprised to find that she had been harbouring a significant amount of respect for him. He may have been a drunkard and a scruff, but he was one of the best at what he did.

"T-thank you Professor… it's just… he was always the one who looked out for us when our dad shut down… without him what will we do?" Yang asked, raising her head to look at the Professor. Glynda paused a moment, surprised to hear a new facet to Qrow's personality, and for a moment she was taken aback. It was unusual to hear Qrow being responsible in his actions.

"Well… Qrow may well be gone but the lessons he left you with aren't. Whether you may have noticed or not, the things he said and taught you have taken root within you. The more I think about it and the more I watch the two of you progress, the more of Qrow I see within you both. Ruby, you represent Qrow's more reckless side as well as his ferocity in defending the things he loved. You even took a version of his weapon for your own. And Yang, you hold his fiery temper and determination. Perhaps the two qualities which best defined him in his later life. Though Qrow may be gone physically, he will always live on through you two, his star students." She said with a slight smile. It was all true, and the more she thought about it, the more of Qrow's influence she could see within the two sisters.

Both of them looked at her for a moment, their expressions of sadness being briefly replaced by weak smiles as they considered Goodwitch's words. The tears still rolled down their cheeks and tumbled to the floor below them, but the two were no longer quite so hopeless in their grief. Though Goodwitch may not have known it, her words had taken root within their hearts and had granted them the measure of strength which they needed to hold their heads up and keep moving forward.

Both of the sisters swept the tears from their cheeks and dried their eyes. They looked at one another with determination burning in their eyes as they stood up. There would be many more tears before the grief left them. But for now they had to be strong, the two of them had agreed through silent consensus, that now was not the time nor was it the place to show their sorrow. The ordeal was not ye over and there was still work to be done.

"What do we do with sleeping beauty here…." Yang asked, her voice wavering a little.

"We take that Scythe out of him, take him down and out of the tower and hand him over to the Vale military where he will await trial in a few days' time." Goodwitch replied "I promise you girls, he will pay for his crimes."

* * *

The trial itself was delayed time and time again as the Vale government prioritised the rebuilding and repair works over the punishment of its biggest criminal. The hunters and huntresses of Beacon academy were widely praised and commended for their work in toppling Ironwood. Funerary services were held for the deceased from the battle of Beacon in the school's courtyard. As the school smouldered around the gathered few, a new statue was unveiled, a tribute and honour to those who had fallen.

It was not until three months after the guns had fallen silent that Ironwood was hauled before a military tribunal to answer for his crimes. The trial itself was a short one, due in part to the overwhelming amount of evidence condemning the general. The proceedings were broadcast across all of the kingdoms to serve as an example and to quell the public outrage which had sprea in the wake of the General's attack. Throughout his trial, Ironwood stood silent. Gone was his pride and in its place was left only resignation. The fire was gone from his eyes leaving them dead and lifeless, the eyes of a man with nothing to lose and aware of his fate. The jury's unanimous decision declared him guilty and he was sentenced without mercy.

"James Ironwood, for your crimes against the kingdom of Vale you have been found guilty on the charges of; treason, murder and attempted warmongering between the kingdoms. By the power vested in my by the royal family of Vale, I hereby sentence you to death and may your gods have mercy on your soul."

Hearing his sentence, the general began chuckling. It was a cold and mirthless laughter as though there was some kind of cruel joke which only he seemed to have caught the punchline to. He looked up with a feral grin on his features and stared down the judge in his high seat, no signs of fear in his eyes as he began to speak.

"Though I may die today, do not make the mistake of believing that this is the end. I am but one cog in a wider machine of destruction, replaceable and expendable. The one whom commanded me shall not prove so easy to cast down and destroy. The time shall soon come when you think you are safe and happy and it shall all turn to ash in your mouths. A time in which the streets of your kingdoms shall run red with blood and your women shall sing the lament of loss. For beyond me is an evil far beyond your comprehension, and one which you shall prove powerless to stop."

Two soldiers stepped in before he could continue and hauled him out of the courthouse and away from the eyes of the world. Yet the candle was lit, those gathered in the galleries whose eyes had burned with anger were filled with fear once again. Nervous mutterings spread like wildfire. In the front rows where teams Jasper and Burgundy stood, the eight teenagers stood in silence. Their eyes were filled with concerned as looks were passed from one to another.

"He… he wasn't telling the truth was he?" Ruby asked with an edge of unease creeping into her voice. Weiss gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, a bold smile etched across her regal features.

"So what if he is? We have been faced with unbeatable odds before and emerged triumphant. Let him send whatever evils he will, and when they come, we will be waiting here for them." She spoke with a confidence which ran deep, beyond a sense of false bravado.

"We have each other, and that is something way stronger than anything they can come up with." Yang said, cracking her knuckles. Yet despite her confidence, Jaune couldn't share in the sentiment. It was all well and good to say that they would handle whatever this unseen evil could throw at them; it was another matter entirely actually putting action to those words.

The more he thought about it though, the more the concept began to worry him. Ironwood had been one of the most powerful men in all of the kingdoms, yet this threat seemed to have even him scared. Just who, or what, was this unseen foe that he had mentioned, and had they been the real driving force behind the General's actions?

His thoughts were interrupted however by the feeling of a gentle touch upon his shoulder. Turning, he was met with the sight of his partner, a quizzical look on her face and slight concern in her eyes. She spoke in a hushed voice, so that the others might not hear.

"Is everything alright Jaune? You're awfully quiet and you have a look like you're struggling with some problem."

"Hm? Oh… I just can't escape the feeling that there's something much bigger at work here y'know? That maybe the General was only the tip of a much larger iceberg…" He explained with a soft sigh. There was no point in hiding it from her, Pyrrha always seemed to find a way to work out what was wrong whether he told her or not.

"I-I know what you mean. It all seems to be over but ever since we caught him, I kind of felt that something was wrong, that we hadn't really stopped anything, only postponed it. It's… scary to think that there might be something a lot worse heading our way. We are only students, and there just aren't enough hunters and huntresses to cope with another attack on this level, let alone a more severe one." She looked down for a moment, a visible shiver running down her spine. Jaune didn't immediately reply to that, after all how could he? What was there that he could say to comfort her? He had the same fears she did and it twisted his gut into a painful knot just thinking about it. Instead he paused a moment before stepping in and wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her in close and cradled her head against his chest, completely unaware of the look on a certain hooded huntress only a couple of feet away from him.

Weiss was quick on the uptake, ushering Ruby away and towards the door to the courthouse with promises of cookies. The rest of the group began to follow in dribs and drabs, leaving one by one until only Jaune, Pyrrha and Yang remained behind. As Pyrrha finally pulled away from her partner, Yang rested her fists on her hips with a playful expression.

"Jeez you guys… Get a room huh?" With that she turned and sauntered away to find the others, leaving the two of them alone, matching blushes on their faces. They stood in silence for a long while, each of them trying to speak and ease the tension but unable to find the words to do so. In the end it was Jaune who finally plucked up his courage and spoke.

"Uh… S-shall we go catch them up? I mean I could go for a quiet drink and some cookies after everything that's happened. What do you say, cocoa and cookies? My treat." He asked, offering her his hand with a nervous smile.

"I… Would really like that." She replied, the joy quite visible on her face as she took his hand in hers. She didn't know quite what this meant, but she was not about to pass up the opportunity. The two of them left the courthouse together, hand in hand and with smiles on their faces. As they were, the threats of the future seemed almost incomprehensible. But they were real, and unbeknownst to the two of them, already actions were set in motion that would shake the very foundations of their new relationship in ways that neither of them could have foreseen.

* * *

It was early morning when Ironwood heard the keys rattling in his cell door. Outside, the sun had barely begun to rise. Streaks of pink and orange lanced across the sky beautifully illuminating the world in a cheerful array of colour. He had not slept the night before, instead choosing to keep a vigil on the sky through the window of his tiny prison. He had watched the sky dim into twilight and the stars wheel overhead on their nightly journey, counting down the minutes until his time came.

The door swung inward silently on well-oiled hinges to reveal two grizzled soldiers, veterans of a great many years of service and the harbingers of his death. The General climbed slowly off of his dismal cot and to his feet, stepping slowly towards them. They each stepped aside to allow him through the doorway and into the corridor. Once he was out, they formed up around him, one in front and one behind with rifle in hand.

The two guards frogmarched him through long and dismal passages, up lengthy flights of stairs and through two enormous steel doors. As they swung open the sunlight streamed in, the General turned his eyes downwards, struggling to grow accustomed to the influx of natural light. His eyes smarted at the introduction of such bright lighting after so long in his dimly lit cell. A rifle barrel jabbed him sharply in the back and set him walking again, for a few seconds he walked blindly as his eyes fought to adjust, trusting only in the jabs of the rifle to keep him on the right track.

As his eyes grew accustomed to the outside world again, he took his first real look at his surroundings. He was in the Prison's large courtyard. It was a wide and empty space, enclosed on all sides by the thick curtain walls of the prison itself. They were thirty feet tall with a parapet wide enough for three men to walk abreast. Beyond those, James knew, was a set of barrack blocks wherein the garrison of guards were housed.

His guards led him off to one side of the large courtyard towards where a number of thick logs had been stood upright, the bottom foot being buried beneath the surface. Around the base of each log, the dirt was stained dark, the mark of past tenants James supposed. They marched him towards the central one and bound him to it, tying his wrists tightly and cruelly before standing on either side of him, rifles at the ready.

From a second set of steel doors within the curtain wall, a small column of soldiers cam marching. Their boots hit the packed dirt of the courtyard with rhythmic precision born of days of drilling. Beside them marched a Sergeant-Major, his pace stick swinging by his side as he called out the timings in a booming voice that rang out across the courtyard. James watched them as they marched right up to him, forming a line in front of his post.

"Detail! Halt!" The Sergeant-Major called, his voice cracking like a whip. Immediately, the men under his command halted, the drumming of their boots falling silent. By a series of further commands, they turned into line and were brought to ease. Once done, the Sergeant-Major made his way over towards the posts, drawing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket along with a matchbook.

"General. Would you like one final smoke?" He asked with a sense of distaste. It was clear that he was merely a formality and not out of any concern for the General himself. James shook his head and watched as the cigarettes disappeared almost as quickly as they had appeared. Next came the blindfold, which again Ironwood refused. He would not go out as a coward; he would look each of his executioners in the eye before drawing his terminal breath with dignity.

With the formalities done, the Sergeant-Major turned and paced to his position at the end of his firing squad. Turning in to face them he drew himself to attention and gave a slight pause. Taking a deep breath he issued his first command.

"Ready!" The firing squad snapped to, collectively placing their right foot forward and raising their rifles.

"Aim!" James found himself staring seven people in the eye across the sights of raised rifles. He stood up straight and composed himself, preparing for the end. Up above a single raven flew across the sky and James' eyes followed it, seeing every detail of its feathers as one final word echoed across the courtyard.

"Fire!" Seven rifles answered the call, spitting seven rounds straight at the General. Almost instantly James felt the hot metal rending his flesh and spilling his life essences. It was not what he had expected; there was no pain and no darkness. Instead there was a feeling of warmth flooding his body. He looked down, expecting to see the bloom of red on what remained of his white uniform but there was none. Instead his whole body had begun to glow a dull orange. Flakes burst from him, as he began to disintegrate and dissolve and yet still there was no pain. Confusion crossed the faces of his executioners as they watched on helplessly as Ironwood turned to dust before them, until in one final moment he was gone, glowing embers vanishing on the breeze without trace. Before any of them could do a thing, he was gone, though whether forever… no-one knew.

* * *

**And that... is where it ends. But don't you worry! There shall be a sequel to this one! Really this time! No fakesies! **

**Honestly, I know that many of you may be a little annoyed with the fact that I have chosen to end with an Arkos ship and may even feel as though the whole thing was a little hastily done or improperly concluded. Let me reassure you that I shall be tackling that in the next fic that I write, it will be a direct sequel to this one and shall continue the story to answer what happened to James, how Jaune and Pyrrha progress and how Vale copes with the fallout of James' plans.**

**Volume three was somewhat of an emotional ride for me for obvious reasons, and for some time it did raise questions as to where I wanted to take this fic and how to write it when my main source of inspiration had just been cut off. But seeing as how AU this ended up being I cant see the canon affecting my writing too much from here on out.**

**Honestly Im looking forward to starting work both upon the sequel to this and an entirely new fic plot that I have been sitting on for some time. I think you're all going to like what I have planned.**

**All that remains now is to thank you all so much for staying with me for this long, your kind words of support and critical reviews have been so very helpful in bringing this tale to life and I am sincerely grateful. I do have the best readers on this site and I hope I can continue to provide content for you all to enjoy in the future.**

**So it is with a heavy heart that I sign off on this fic for the final time, but with excitement that I go on to start work on my third project! So, for the final time, please do follow and favourite and let me know what you thought of the ending in the reviews. I have been TheFlagshipArkos and I will see you all, in the next Fic!**


	32. SEQUEL NEWS

Hello again everyone,

I have some good news for you all that I think you shall be happy to hear. After what feels like an eternity and was in fact nigh on two years, I can finally say that work is underway on the sequel piece to 'The Sword and Spear'. In fact, I can now confirm that the first chapter is written and ready to be proof read and tweaked. Once I have finished work on the second chapter I will post it up for you all. In addition I have another piece which I have been working on for some time now featuring Emerald and Jaune which I'm pretty excited to post up for you all. In short, I have been a busy bee indeed and can finally begin to unveil the fruits of my labours. The update schedule will not be too frequent though Im afraid, I will have to fit it in amongst my other commitments but rest assured I will work on it when I can!

Stay tuned and be prepared for:

**'The Notched and Blunted' - A Sequel Piece**

**'On the Straight and Narrow' - A thief's Story**

I eagerly look forward to publishing again.

**TheFlagshipArkos.**


	33. TSAS Sequel is live!

Hello everyone,

After what seems like an eternity the sequel to 'The Sword and Spear' is now up and posted so please do head on over, give it a read and let me know what you think. I shall try and keep chapters consistent in both length and quality and as such the release schedule will be somewhat sporadic so please bear with me.

Many thanks,

TheFlagshipArkos


End file.
